One Direction One Shots
by anniearmitage
Summary: Random one shots featuring One Direction (also posted on my quotev and archive of our own accounts. same with my other stories)
1. Chapter 1

My eyes barely accustomed to flashing cameras when I was blinded again, this time by neon lights in a club. I blinked a few times and made my way straight to the bar, pulling my date with me.

I ordered two shots and didn't hesitate with drinking it all at once. I knew I'd need much more alcohol in my blood if I had to spend more hours with this blonde girl. I looked at her and slightly took in her features. Sure thing was, she was gorgeous. She looked like a doll with those big blue eyes and straight blonde hair, her figure skinny, but not without nicely developed chest area and long legs. She was perfect enough to met my standards, but I was tired of that. I was tired of having only perfect things in my life.

"Harry, babe, are you listening?" high pitched voice interrupted my thoughts and I realized my blonde date was talking to me.

I smiled and opened my mouth to answer her, but she only rewarded me with a smirk and continued her babbling only she knew what about. My eyes started to scan the room, again completely forgetting about the girl next me, and I could swear my heart skipped a beat as I spotted _her_.

She was far from perfect, but she was still the most fascinating girl there. Her long wavy hair fell like a brown waterfall on her arms, huge smile played on her lips as she laughed with her friends and her curvy figure, moving perfectly to the rhythm, made my pants tight from just a mere sight at her. I smirked to myself and turned to my date.

"Courtney, let's dance," I said loudly to her, hoping she heard me through the loud music.

She nodded, too eagerly for my own liking, and we made it to the dancefloor just as _Rihanna'_ s voice echoed through the air and her song _Only Girl_ came in. I leaded her not far from the girl I saw earlier, close enough without appearing like a stalker and I rolled my eyes as Courtney pushed her hips to mine instead of real dancing. I twirled her around, so she had her back to me and ignored as she pushed her bum to me. Normaly I wouldn't waste any time flirting with her before taking her back to my hotel room for some fun. But now I actually find it annoying and I took in the features of the brown haired girl.

She truly looked incredibly hot as swaying her wide hips to the music, letting her hair fell down on her arms and with that small smile on her face she simply was gorgeous. I smirked as one of her friends noticed me starring and whispered something in her ear, only making her laugh. But she turned around and as my eyes met with the beautiful hazel ones it almost felt like the world had stopped for a while. She winked at me before continuing dancing, completely ignoring my presence.

I laughed out, frustrated she wasn't already by my side, but at the same time thankful for that. I like challenges. I grabbed hand of my date and pulled her back to the bar, not noticing how her face lighten up thinking we were heading home.

"You have to go," I said simply as I situated myself on a bar stool and ordered myself another shot.

"What?" she gasped at me and I almost laughed at her expression as she widen her already big eyes and pouted.

"You really are beautiful girl, but I just don't feel the connection. I am sorry, it's my fault," I explained, not feeling sorry at all. All I could think of was that stunning girl, who didn't throw herself at me.

"You know what, you are an idiot!" Courtney yelled and turned on her heel before angrily walking out of the club.

I gulped my drink and opened my mouth to ask a bartender for another one, but was interrupted by a girl's voice.

"Three beers," the girl ordered and as I looked at her, my lips curved into a smile.

"Hello there beautiful," I said smugly as I stared at the girl I wanted.

"Do I know you?" she asked and even she tried, she couldn't hide her smirk. God, could she get any more attractive?

"I don't doubt it," I winked confidently.

"Oh, Mr. here is a snob," she laughed and looked away from me.

"Harry Styles," I introduced myself and pull out my hand for a shake, hoping it would catch her attention.

"Should I be interested?" she said without looking at me, only making me long for her more.

"You most certaintly should," I said confidently. "At least tell me your name."

"I am not so easy, Mr. Styles," the girl winked at me before walking back to her friends and leaving me with a soft smirk playing on my lips. It only took me a second to recover and I followed her to her friends.

"C'mon and dance with me baby," I said to her ear as I reached her and ignored her giggling friends.

"What if I'd say no?" she asked me sexily looking at me through her eyelashes.

"There is no way of walking out, love," I smiled and pulled her to the dancefloor without waiting for her answer.

She closed her eyes and started to dance to the music immediately and I just stopped moving and simply stared. What was so special about her? What was that one thing which made me to run after? She turned around and swayed her hips right to every beat, causing my heart raced. I took her hand and pulled her closer to me, chuckling at her surprised face.

"Do you know I've been watching you all night? There's just something about you, something in your eyes that makes me wanna be yours," I smirked down at the beauty in my arms.

"It's Tina," girl smiled at me and continued dancing, but this time without trying to escape me.


	2. Chapter 2

*Erica's POV*  
"Hey Erica I heard there were five new boys joining your class today." my sister Jessie said at the table while we're eating breakfast. "Yeah, what about it?" I say taking another bite of my cereal. "Maybe they'll be cute. And maybe you'll get over Josh." she said smirking. "Shut up." I said and put my bowl in the sink and walked out the door. I started to walk down my usual walk to school when my sister says, "Erica, do you want a ride?" "What?" I asked turning around. I knew something was up because she NEVER asks if I want a ride. "Well, that boyband One Direction is in town today so, there's gonna be a bunch of creepers out. And mom said while she was out of town I better make sure you're safe." she said. "Jessie, I'll be fine. Trust me." I said and continued to take my usual route to school. I was probably halfway there when someone ran into me. "HEY! Watch it." I said turning around coming face-to-face with a curly-haired guy.  
*Harry's POV*  
Whoa I don't know who the heck I just ran into, but she is cute. Hey, I wonder why her outfit looks similar to mine?  
*Erica's POV*  
"Oh sorry." he said. "I'm new in town and I can't seem to find the school I've been transferred to." "Oh, well, I guess I could help you. What school is it?" I ask and he flips his hair. "Mayfield." he said looking down. "What?" I ask disgusted. That was MY school. So, that was why he was dressed similar to me. I was wearing the usual school uniform: white shirt with black stripes,navy blue semi-high waist skirt,and white knee-high socks. We could wear any kind of shoes and any kind of jacket. So, I was wearing my black combat boots and light-wash jean jacket. It didn't really match but, Jessie took my black leather jacket and left it at her friends house. So, yeah it didn't match but I didn't care. He was wearing a white shirt with black stripes and navy blue pants. He also wore a black sweater and red Converse. Ok, his outfit allmost matched better than mine. "I said, Mayfield was the school I was looking for. Do you know where it is?" he asked looking me square in the eye. Whoa, the green eyes were kinda frightning in a way. "Yeah it's my school." I said somewhat snippy-like.  
*Harry's POV*  
YES! YES! YES! WHOO! WHOO! I seriously can not believe that this beautiful girl is gonna be going to school with me. I really hope the other guys don't think she's cute too.  
*Erica's POV*  
"Great." he said, sounding a little too excited about it. "Alright, well come on." I said turning around. Flipping my carmel/blond hair with a purple streak in the process. Yeah, there was only one but, it was enough to be rebelious but, not too much to get detention. "Wait." he said grabbing my arm and spinning me around. I glared at him and said, "Why?" "My four friends are also joining Mayfield today." he said simply and realizing he still had my arm in his hand he let go. "HEY GUYS!" he yelled. Wait a minute. Did he have an accent? I was snapped out of my thoughts when four other guys came running up almost simialrly dressed to this guy. The one with messy hair had on the same white shirt with black stripes and navy pants except he had on suspenders and his pants were rolled up at the bottoms and he was wearing red TOMS. The blond one was wearing the same shirt and pants except he had on a gray sweater and was wearing a four-leaf-clover necklace and red Nike high-tops. The one with spikey hair had on a black shirt with white stripes (only the boys can wear those) and khaki pants (still only the boys can wear those) and a varsity jacket with black Nike high-tops. And the last one with I what I guessed was short brown hair had on a plaid shirt and khakis and navy blue Converse. I didn't know why he was wearing a plaid shirt because we weren't allowed to. I would know I tried it once and I had detention for two weeks. "Hey you, dude in the plaid shirt." I said rather rudely. "Me?" he asked. "Yeah you. You're the only one wearing a plaid shirt. You're gonna get two weeks detention." I said crossing my arms. "Oh, I talked to the principal and she said it was ok." he said. "Well, oh wait I don't know your name." he said. "And I don't know your's or your's or your's or your's or your's. My name's Erica." I said uncrossing my arms and pointing to each one of them when I said "your's". "I'm Harry and this is Louis." he said gesturing towards the one with suspenders. "This is Niall." he said gesturing to the one with the four-leaf-clover necklace. "That's Zayn." he said gesturing to the one in the varsity jacket. "And, that's Liam." he said gesturing to the one I just yelled at. "Well, now that we know each other. We need to get to school." I said and turned around once again and flipped my hair once again and started walking away.  
*Harry's POV*  
'Whoa the that girl flips her hair gets ME overwhelmed.' I thought as Louis grabbed my arm. "What?" I asked. "Aww, does Hazza have a little crush on Erica?" he said and started bouncing up and down. "Louis stop it. You look like a child." Liam hissed. I would've told Louis that I did but, she said, "Are you coming or not?" Man, she was fiesty. I love it. Then we ran after her.  
*Erica's POV*  
FF. We get to school and I stop dead in my tracks and turn to face the guys. "Alright let me see your schedules." I said and they handed me their schedules and my four best friends ran up. Harry's schedule looked exactly like mine and my friend Andy (short for Andrea) ripped the rest out of my hands. She gasped, looked at Liam, and said, "This is exactly like my schedule!" "Well, great you can show me around then." he said and they both walked away smiling but, only after Keni (short for Kendra) ripped the schedules out of her hands. She looked at Niall and said,"Hey, this looks like my schedule. So, I guess I get to show you around." He smiled and she took his hand and they walked away, after she handed the other two shedules to Jacey and Aly. After they talked for 3 minutes they both walked away, Jacey with Louis and Aly with Zayn. "So, I guess you get to show me around." he said with a grin at the end. "Yeah, but, don't get too cocky." "So what's our first class?" he asks. "Well, it's singing and vocals." I said nodding my head and walking in the direction of my first class. "Wait what kind of school is this?" he asked catching up with me. "Well, this is a school for prodigies. I am a singing prodigy." I said continuing to walk to my . "Alright, class. Today we'll be doing duets. And I will pare you up." she said starting to pare people up. "And Erica and Harry." she said. "Erica you know what room to practice in." she said and me and Harry walked to the practice room. FF. "Ok so what song should we sing?" I ask and Harry picks a song. Gotta Be You by One Direction. We divided up the parts and sang our hearts out. "Hey you did really good. How did you manage to sound like that one guy?" I ask scrolling through the songs the iPod. "Erica, I know you won't believe this but, I'm that guy from One Direction. Harry Styles." he said looking down. "Whoa, ok, cool, I guess but, what are you doing here?" I ask looking at him. "Our manager thought it would be good for us." he said. "Oh this song!" he yelled. "Harry, this is a Hannah Montana song. Do you know what this will do to my rep?" I ask laughing. "I don't care just sing it." he said and the song started. We easily divided up the parts because it was a duet between Iyaz and Hannah Montana. We walked back to the main room and I gotta say we did pretty good on the duet. "Alrighty class since you all practiced your duets we're going to perform them. Now who will go first." she said looking down at her list. "How about Harry and Erica?" she asked looking at up and of course Harry jumped up and ran to the stage, while I calmly walked to the stage like a normal person would. "Alright before we start the song I just wanna say that Harry chose this song." I said right before the music started playing.  
Harry:Baby we got 's my girl Hannah. And Iyaz on the track right now. Let's go.  
Erica: Tonight, we gonna get this. Tonight, we gonna get we gonna get gonna get gonna get this.  
Harry:I can hear you crankin' up them speakers. I don't really wanna show up any soon we gonna party like its New Year's. Oh oh.  
Erica:Yo I'm lovin' all this music that they're playin'. But, I ain't hearing anythin' you sayin'. Tonight we're gonna get this. Gonna live oh.  
Harry: Somebody dance beside I'm feelin' good at this I'm fly just like Bob Marley. So, here we go girl. Just turn it up.  
Erica: Are you the boy,the boy, the boy the honest truth, the real McCoy? If you're the boy,the boy,the boy to make me feel like a movie.  
Harry:This girl,this girl,this girl could be the one to rock my world. So, be my girl,my girl,my girl and love me just like a movie.  
Erica: I can see you hangin' out in the corner. Lookin' fly and you finally comin' over. I've been checkin' out you but, you didn't oh.  
Harry:Yeah, I did. And it's finally nice to meet you. 1.2.3 could you smile for we gonna get this. Gonna really love oh.  
Erica: 'Somebody just Hannah do you already have a man cuz, I'm smooth like Carlos Santana' Well here we go boy. Just crank it up. Are you the boy,the boy,the boy the honest truth, the real you're the boy,the boy,the boy to make me feel like a movie.  
Harry:This girl,this girl,this girl could be the one to rock my world. So, be my girl,my girl,my girl and love me just like a , I'm gonna go sing my melody. If you wanna join in, go ahead and sing. We can dance all night, baby you and oh.  
Erica:Yeah, we gonna get down and party. Celebrate with everybody. Have a crazy good time, yeah the time of our you the boy,the boy,the boy the honest truth, the real McCoy. If you're the boy,the boy,the boy to make me feel like a movie.  
Harry:This girl,this girl,this girl could be the one to rock my be my girl,my girl,my girl and love me just like a oh oh oh oh oh oh.  
Erica:Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh.  
Harry:Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh.  
Erica:This boy,this boy,this oh oh oh oh oh oh.  
Harry:Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh.  
Erica: Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh.  
Harry:That girl,that girl,that girl  
Erica:This boy.  
Harry:That girl.  
Erica: This boy.  
Harry:That girl.  
Erica:This boy.  
Harry:That girl.  
*Erica's POV*  
There was like maybe 20 seconds of music left on the song so, we were just standing there facing each other and then he leaned down and kissed me.I'm like 5'3" and he looked like he was probably 5'10" maybe? I don't know but, anyways when he leaned down and kissed me I was shocked but, I'll admit it he was kinda cute so, I kissed back.  
*Harry's POV*  
I just had to kiss her. It was weird the way I was acting. Like it was life or death. But, thank God she kissed back. So, there we were on stage kissing.  
*Erica's POV*  
It was sweet and passionate but, gentle, like he didn't wanna push it. When the teacher cleared her throat, I knew we had to stop but, I didn't want to. He pulled away with a huge smile on his face and grabbed my hand and led me off the stage. I went to sit where we were sitting before the song but, Harry said,"Grab your backpack and we'll sit in the back." So, I did as I was told but, normally I wouldn't have. We got there and he sits down and pulls me onto his lap and says,"Will you be the girl that rocks my world?" I laughed at his lame song quote but said,"If you'll be the boy that makes me feel like a movie." Now, it was his turn to laugh at my lame song quote. He kissed me once again and I knew somehow he would never hurt me. Josh who?


	3. Chapter 3

*Beatriz's POV*  
"B GET UP!" my best friend Hannah yelled. "What?" I whined. "Well, there's this singing compitition and I thought you might wanna enter." she said quieter this time. That got my attention. Why? Because music is my life. I sat up and stared at her, trying to see if she was lying because I can tell when she is. Good news she wasn't. "Get changed and let's go!" she said running downstairs. 'Great' I thought. I dug through my closet and settling on a black crop top that says 'pretty wild', gray pants,a light pink tank top,and black glitter combat boots. I walked downstairs and Hannah was on the phone with someone but, she turned around and ended her call. "Who was that?" I asked cocking my head to the side. (much like a dog) "No one. Come on let's go!" she said dragging me out the door.  
*FF to when we get there*  
"Wait a minute." I said stopping dead in my tracks. I had noticed the sign that said who the judges were and they were One Direction. I hadn't really planned on seeing one particular member again: Harry. "Look I know you're not that happy with me right now, but, please just ignore the fact that Harry is here and just do it." she practically begged me. "Fine. I mean I'm only doing this because we're already here." I said giving into her pleading. We walked through the entrance and Hannah signed me in and we went backstage. "Hey Beatriz, you're up next." some security guy said. I ran some songs through my head trying to pick which one I would sing. "Oh , by the way, you have to sing a One Direction song." she said staring blankly at me. She does that alot. "Fine but, I am not singing What Makes You Beautiful." I argued. "Whoops." she muttered with a nervous laugh. I was pushed on stage and the music started. I grabbed a mic and started singing.  
 **You're insecure**  
 **Don't know what for**  
 **You're turning heads when you walk through the do-o-or**  
 **Don't need make-up**  
 **To cover up**  
 **Being the way that you are is enou-ou-gh**  
I had finished Liam's part in the song and I was just about to sing Harry's part but, I was way nervous. Not because of performing in front of them, no, I actually know them all personally, but, because Harry and I we-we dated but, we broke up. I was broken for days. But, I had to get back to the song.  
 **Everyone else in the room can see it**  
 **Everyone else but, you-u**  
 **Baby you light up my world like nobody else**  
 **The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed**  
 **But, when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell**  
 **You don't know oh-oh**  
 **You don't know you're beautiful**  
 **If only you saw what I can see**  
 **You'll understand why I want you so desperately**  
 **Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe**  
 **You don't know oh-oh**  
 **You don't know you're beautiful oh-oh**  
 **That's what makes you beautiful**  
There was an instrumental between the chorus and Zayn's solo so, I looked at all five of them. Louis, Liam, Zayn, and Niall looked so happy to see me because we haven't talked since Harry and I broke up. Harry, on the other hand, looked as bored as ever.  
 **So c-come on**  
 **You got it wrong**  
 **To prove I'm right I put it in a so-o-ong**  
 **I don't know why**  
 **You're being shy**  
 **And turn away when I look into your ey-e-yes**  
 **Everyone else in the room can see it**  
 **Everyone else but, you-u**  
 **Baby you light up my world like nobody else**  
 **The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed**  
 **But, when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell**  
 **You don't know oh-oh**  
 **You don't know your beautiful**  
 **If only you saw what I can see**  
 **You'll understand why I want you so desperately**  
 **Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe**  
 **You don't know oh-oh**  
 **You don't know you're beautiful oh-oh**  
 **That's what makes you beautiful**  
 **Na, na, na, na, na, na, naa, na, na**  
 **Na, na, na, na, na, na**  
 **Na, na, na, na, na, na, naa, na, na**  
 **Na, na, na, na, na, na**  
I looked at Harry before I sang his final solo in the song and he looked like he was gonna fall asleep or something. How dare he! I am sooo not boring but, if that's the game you wanna play Styles, then fine. That's the game we'll play.  
 **Baby you light up my world like nonody else**  
 **The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed**  
 **But, when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell**  
 **You don't know oh-oh**  
 **You don't know you're beautiful**  
 **Baby you light up my world like nobody else**  
 **The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed**  
 **But, when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell**  
 **You don't know oh-oh**  
 **You don't know you're beautiful**  
 **If only you saw what I can see**  
 **You'll understand why I want you so desperately**  
 **Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe**  
 **You don't know oh-oh**  
 **You don't know you're beautiful oh-oh**  
 **That's what makes you beautiful**  
I struck a pose at the end of the song and the crowd went wild. Louis, Liam, Niall, and Zayn stood up with huge smiles on their faces and clapping their hands so hard I thought they would fall off. Harry just sat there. "Beatriz that was amazing!" Louis breathed. "That's a definate yes!" "Same, Beatriz, that was really good." Liam said. "Ditto." Zayn said. He hasn't changed much, still a man of few words. "Me two!" Niall said bouncing up and down in his chair. "No." Harry said. The boys just stared at him in disbelief with mouths open. "What? I didn't like it." he said. Ouch, that hurt. "Well, since you got four "yes's" and an unexpected "no" you get to move on to the next round, which is Selena Gomez." Louis said. I on the other hand, just stared at him because I didn't know what he meant. "That means pick a Selena Gomez song for the next round." Liam explained. Oooh, I thought. I walked backstage and Hannah ran up to me. "I can't believe Harry said no!" she said. "I can." I mumbled. "Well, Louis said the next round is Selena Gomez so, what song are you gonna sing?" she asked. "Well, maybe I'll sing 'My Dilema'." I said.  
*FF to Round 2 later that day*  
I was standing next to the stage, mic in hand, waiting to go on. The lights turned on and the music started and I walked onstage and started singing.  
 **You make so upset some times**  
 **I feel like I could lose my mind**  
 **The conversation goes nowhere**  
 **Because you're never gonna take me there**  
 **And I know what I know**  
 **And I know you're no good for me**  
 **Yeah I know what I know**  
 **And I know it's not meant to be**  
 **Here's my dilema one half one me wants you**  
 **And the other half wants to forget it**  
 **My-my-my dilema from the moment I met you**  
 **I can't get you outta my head**  
 **And I tell myself to run from you**  
 **But, I find myself attracted to my dilema**  
 **My dilema is you, is you**  
 **Your eyes have told a thousand lies**  
 **But, I believe them when they look in mine**  
 **I heard the rumors but, you won't come clean**  
 **I guess I'm hoping it's because of me**  
 **And I know what I know**  
 **And I know you're no good for me**  
 **Yeah I know what I know**  
 **And I know it's not meant to be**  
 **Here's my dilema one half of me wants you**  
 **And the other half wants to forget it**  
 **My-my-my dilema from the moment I met you**  
 **I just can't get you out of my head**  
 **And I tell myself to run from you**  
 **But, I find myself attracted to my dilema**  
 **My dilema is you, is you**  
 **I could live without you**  
 **Your smile, your eyes, the way you make me feel inside**  
 **I could live without you**  
 **But, I don't wanna I don't wanna oh**  
 **Oh, you make me so upset sometimes**  
 **Here's my dilema one half of me wants you**  
 **And the other half wants to forget it**  
 **My-my-my dilema from the moment I met you**  
 **I just can't get you outta my head**  
 **And I tell myself to run from you**  
 **But, I find myself attracted to my dilema**  
 **My dilema is you, is you**  
 **Is you, is you, is you, is you, is you, is you, is you, is you, is you**  
 **My-my-my dilema**  
I looked at the boys. Louis, Liam, Zayn, and Niall were staring at me with pure amazement and Harry wore a blank expression. What is with him? "Beatriz that was AWESOME!" Louis yelled and Liam, Zayn, and Niall nodded in argreement. "That's a yes." Louis said. "Yes." Liam said. "Ditto." Zayn said again. "Me two!" Niall happily said. "No." Harry said. "Harry!" Louis said. "What? I didn't like it." he said. "But, she was amazing." Louis countered. "I didn't think so." Harry said. Ok that hurt me, that hurt me bad. "Since you got four "yes's" again the next round is Justin Bieber." Liam said. I walked back stage and through down the mic as hard as I could. And let me say that was not a pretty sound and I almost blew my eardrums and everyone else's too. But, I almost didn't care because I couldn't believe Harry was acting like that. I know he loves my singing, he even told me he did! "B, the next round Justin Bieber, and i know the perfect song for you and I've got a plan." Hannah said.  
*FF to Round 3 Tomorrow*  
We had discussed the plan last night in Louis's apartment. Liam, Louis, Zayn, Niall, Hannah, and I worked on it until 1 in the morning. I just hope it works. The plan was Louis, Liam, Niall, and Zayn sing backup for me on Justin Bieber's That Should Be Me and Hannah makes sure Harry thinks that they're sitting next to him, instead of being backstage with me. The only flaw in our plan was that Harry makes the final decision and if he says no then I'm out of the compitition. So, I just hope he says yes. The music started so we assumed that Hannah did her part and Harry didn't know they were here. The music started and the boys walked on stage.  
 **The boys: Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh**  
 **Me: Everybody's laughing in my mind**  
 **Rumors spreading 'bout this other girl**  
(me:i kinda have to change the lyrics a bit bcuz justin's a boy and beatriz's girl)  
 **Do you do what you did when you did with me?**  
 **Does she love you the way I can?**  
 **Did you forget all the plans that you made with me?**  
 **Cuz baby I didn't**  
 **That should be me holdin' your hand**  
 **That should be me makin' you laugh**  
 **That should be me, this is so sad**  
 **That should be me**  
 **That should be me**  
 **That should be me feelin' your kiss**  
 **That should be me buyin' you gifts**  
 **This is so wrong, I can't go on**  
 **'Til you believe that that should be me**  
 **Boys: Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh**  
 **Me:That should be me**  
 **You said you needed a little time for my mistakes**  
 **It's funny how you used that time to have me replaced**  
 **Did you think that I wouldn't see you out at the movies?**  
 **Whatcha doin' to me?**  
 **Your takin' her ways to go**  
 **Now if you're tryin' break my heart**  
 **It's workin' cuz you know**  
 **That that should be me holdin' your hand**  
 **That should be me makin' you laugh**  
 **That should be me this is so sad**  
 **That should be me**  
 **That should be me**  
 **That should be me feelin' your kiss**  
 **That should be me buyin' you gifts**  
 **This is so wrong, I can't go on**  
 **'Til you believe that that should be me**  
 **I need to know should I fight for love, or disarm**  
 **It's getting harder to shield this pain in my heart**  
 **Ooh**  
 **That should be me holdin' your hand**  
 **That should be me makin' you laugh**  
 **That should be me this is so sad**  
 **That should be me**  
 **That should be me**  
 **That should be me feelin' your kiss**  
 **That should be me buyin' you gifts**  
 **This is so wrong, I can't go on**  
 **'Til you believe that that should be me**  
 **Holding your hand (boys:that should be me)**  
 **The one makin' you laugh (boys:that should be me)**  
 **Oh, baby, oh**  
 **That should be me**  
 **That should be me (boys:buyin' you flowers)**  
 **Talkin' for hours (boys:that should be me)**  
 **That should be me**  
 **That should be me**  
 **That should be me**  
 **Never shoulda you go (boys:I never shoulda let you go)**  
 **That should be me (boys: I never shoulda let you go)**  
 **That should be me**  
We all walked towards the center of the stage and looked at Harry. He looked right past me and glared at them. "So, what's your decision?" Liam finally asked breaking the silence. Harry looked at me, then at the boys again. "No." he said and looked down at some papers that were sitting infront of him. I couldn't take it anymore, so, I ran backstage dropped the mic, and ran outside. I sat down next to Hannah's car and just started crying, with no chance of stopping soon.  
*Louis's POV*  
As we were waiting for Harry's answer I prayed he said yes. I locked eyes with Harry briefly before he gave his answer. "No." Harry said. My jaws dropped and so did the other lads. Beatriz just stood there for a second before she ran offsatge, dropping the mic, and running outside. Since Beatriz was the last contestant in the round, we heard a buzzer sound and everyone started fanning out. I walked up to Harry and slapped him arcoss the face. Hard. "What the heck?" he yelled at me. "Don't you see what you're doing to her?" I yelled back. "What do you mean?" he said lowering his voice. "She still loves you. The way you flip your hair gets her overwhelmed. YOU'RE her dilema. That should be her making you laugh." I said quoting the songs she sang for Harry. "Whatever." he said rolling his eyes. So, I slapped him again this time harder. "Yeah, she still loves you. You're just too hard-headed to see that." I yelled again. Zayn, Liam, and Niall just stood there not daring to cut into the conversation. "No, she isn't." he yelled at me. "Yeah, she is. But, you've broken her and this time she can't be fixed." I spat at him before running of to see where Beatriz ran off to.  
*Harry's POV*  
I stood there for a while after Louis left. His final words still ringing in my ears. "Yeah, she is. But, you've broken her and this time she can't be fixed." I couldn't believe he said that. I turned to the boys who hadn't said anything since Louis slapped me the first time. I broke the silence by saying, "Can you believe him?" No answer. "He's acting like Beatriz is a broken toy or something." I said laughing at the end. Liam walked off the stage and started walking towards me. He walked up towards me and I braced myself for his hand to come across my cheek, just as Louis's had. But, it never did. He simply leaned in and said, all serious like, "You better go find Beatriz and you better apologize right _now_." I should of known Liam wasn't gonna hit me, he's not violent at all. I looked at him and I could tell I was either gonna have to go and find her or he was gonna drag me to find her. I bolted out the door and yelled, "BEATRIZ!"  
*Beatriz's POV*  
I sat there for about twenty minutes before Louis came running up to me. "Beatriz, are you alright?" he breathed. "No." I mumbled. He sat down next to me and put his strong arms around me. I gave in and let him hold me and sobbed into his shirt, while he stroked my hair. "Shhh. It's ok, Louis's here." he repeated thirty-something times before we heard, "BEATRIZ!" I sat up and reconized a British accent in the voice, which was clearly male. I looked around, trying to decide where the voice came from, when I see Harry run up to us. I escape Louis grasp and shrink away from Harry. He runs up and wraps me in his strong arms. I couldn't stand it anymore and I collasped into his arms, unable to resist his touch. "I'm soo sorry B. I wasn't thinking. I-I just thought you were only here because you were over me, when I was wasn't. It was dumb, I'm dumb." he said into my hair. I pulled away and saw he was crying. I got lost in those emerald green eyes and kissed him, forgetting Louis was there, until he cleared his throat. "Harry, you do know that I trust you not to hurt me again right?" I said. "Yeah, yeah, I do." he said before kissing me once again.


	4. Chapter 4

And now the sun is rising

Now the long walk back home (back home)

There's just so many faces,

But no one I need to know (need to know)

In the dark I can fight it, I fake 'til I'm numb

But in the bright light,

I taste you on my tongue

I groan as I sit up in my bed. 'Shouldn't have gone drinking with friends last night,' I thought, 'bad idea Emily, bad idea.' I groan again and rub my temples. Last night my friends dragged me out to a bar to get me out of my pity party. Since I am legal to drink, my friends somehow convinced me to go. I have absolutely no idea why they actually got me to go, drinking wasn't my thing, but they managed. It actually wasn't that fun anyways.

Now the party's over

And everybody's gone

I'm left here with myself and I wonder what went wrong

And now my heart is broken

Like the bottles on the floor

Does it really matter?

Or am I just hung over you?

Ah ah ah, ah ah ah

or am I just hungover?

'Harry would've told you not to go. Harry would've told you it was a bad idea. Harry would've been right.' I thought over and over again. I sighed. Harry was the reason I had been moping around for the past two weeks. He had to go and visit his family in the United States and he broke up with me while he was over there and he hasn't returned to England yet. He was my rock. He was the one who kept me sane and without him… I feel numb inside.

Even my dirty laundry

Everything just smells like you (like you)

And now my head is throbbing

Every song is out of tune

Just like you

In the dark I can fight 'til it disappears

But in the daylight

I taste you in my tears

I walk into the kitchen, pour myself a cup of water, pop a couple Advil in my mouth, drink the water, and swallow the pills whole. I sigh as I look around my apartment. I walk into the kitchen, pour myself a cup of water, pop a couple Advil in my mouth, drink the water, and swallow the pills whole. I sigh as I look around my apartment. 'Our apartment.' My brain chided me. I jump as I heard my phone ring on the counter and make no effort to quickly answer it.

"Hello?" I ask, not bothering to check Caller ID.

And now the party's over,

And everybody's gone

I'm left here with myself and I wonder what went wrong

And now my heart is broken

Like the bottles on the floor

Does it really matter?

Or am I just hung over you?

Ah ah ah, ah ah ah

or am I just hungover?

"Hey Em, how ya feeling? You aren't going to throw up again are you?" My friend Sara asked me.

"Again? I don't recall throwing up the first time!" I say, confused.

She laughs. "It's FINE Em, I was just checking up on you. You seemed really depressed last night that's all."

"You'd be depressed too if your friends took you out and got you drunk."

"Emily, you know why." I hear her sigh on the other end.

"He's just a guy." I repeat, knowing that's exactly what she wants to hear.

Now I've got myself looking like a mess

Standing alone here at the end trying to pretend but no,

I put up my fight

But this is it this time (this time)

'cause I'm here in the end, trying to pretend

I'm here in the end, trying to pretend

Oh, oh

I sigh, still remembering my long phone conversation with Sara. The words repeated in my head.

I don't know why you're so hung up on this guy!

Honestly Em, it's been at least a month.

Forgive and forget!

He's just a boy!

"No," I whisper, tears rolling down my cheeks, "he's my world."

And now the party's over,

And everybody's gone

I'm left here with myself and I wonder what went wrong

And now my heart is broken

Like the bottles on the floor

Does it really matter?

Or am I just hung over you?

Ah ah ah, ah ah ah

or am I just hungover?

A couple hours later I was curled up on the couch with a blanket and Kleenex's with The Vow playing on my TV.

"Remember him!" I screamed at the TV, "He's your WORLD Paige! Your fucking world…"

I hear the doorbell ring and I angrily sigh, pausing the movie and wiping the tears off my cheeks as I go answer the door.

I open it and I'm immediately pulled in a bear hug as Calvin Klein fills the air.

"I'm sorry Emily," Harry whispers in my ear.

Ah ah ah

or am I just hungover?


	5. Chapter 5

_**I miss your soft lips, I miss your white sheets**_  
 _ **I miss the scratch of your unshaved face on my cheek**_  
 _ **and this is so hard 'cause I didn't see**_  
 _ **that you were the love of my life and it kills me**_

It was raining, well more like pouring. I was sitting at my piano attempting to write a song for my music finals. I was struggling to find an idea when my eyes scan across the room landing on the same picture it always does, one of me and Harry. I sighed. It's only been a month since we broke up but the pain I felt then is still fresh in my mind. I bring my gaze back to the piano and just stare at the keys. _'What should I write?'_ I asked myself, _'what will give me a good grade and be a good song?'_

 _ **I see your face in strangers on the street**_  
 _ **I still say your name when I'm talking in my sleep**_  
 _ **And in the limelight, I play it off fine**_  
 _ **But I can't handle it when I turn off my night light**_  
 _ **But I can't handle it when I turn off my night light**_

"I got it!" I exclaimed, even though I was the only one in the house. "I'll write about us," I whispered, "and get everything off my chest." I smiled weakly and picked up my pencil to start writing the lyrics. "Okay, I've got an idea… Now where to begin?"

 _ *****_ _ **FLASHBACK**_ _ *****_

" _Morning love," I heard Harry whisper in my ear. I smiled in my sleep and rolled over to see him lying there smiling at me lazily. "You've got stubble," I giggled girlishly. That only made his dimpled smile bigger. "Well I am nineteen sweetheart, it comes with age." I laughed. "I swear sometimes you just say things to say them."_

 _ *****_ _ **END OF FLASHBACK**_ _ *****_

 _ **They say that true love hurts, well this could almost kill me**_  
 _ **Young love murder, that is what this must be**_  
 _ **I would give it all to not be sleeping alone**_  
 _ **Alone**_

 _ **The life is fading from me while you watch my heart bleed**_  
 _ **Young love murder, that is what this must be**_  
 _ **I would give it all to not be sleeping alone**_  
 _ **Alone**_

I smiled at the memory. It happened just about every morning. I would picture his face and all the exact details of it. It was a bad habit and I knew it. I scribbled down the lyrics and poked at a couple of keys on the piano to get a feel for the scale.

 _ **Remember the time we jumped the fence when**_  
 _ **The Stones were playing and we were too broke to get in**_  
 _ **You held my hand and they made me cry while**_  
 _ **I swore to God it was the best night of my life**_

 _ **Or when you took me across the world**_  
 _ **We promised that this would last forever but now I see**_  
 _ **It was my past life, a beautiful time**_  
 _ **Drunk off of nothing but each other 'til the sunrise**_

 _ **Drunk off of nothing but each other 'til the sunrise**_

 _ *****_ _ **FAST FORWARD**_ _ *****_

A couple hours and two Kleenex boxes later I had finished my song. Of course, I still needed music to go with my lyrics and I needed to edit and record myself playing and singing the song, but that could wait a while.

I walked into my kitchen and prepared to make myself a sandwich when the doorbell rang. Not expecting anyone to visit today I carefully made my way to the door. I peeked through the peephole and saw brown hair and lots of it. Thinking it was my best friend I open the door and state,

"Jen, I don't have time for this today. You know good and well that I need to finish my song for my music finals."

 _ **They say that true love hurts, well this could almost kill me**_  
 _ **Young love murder, that is what this must be**_  
 _ **I would give it all to not be sleeping alone**_  
 _ **Alone**_

 _ **The life is fading from me while you watch my heart bleed**_  
 _ **Young love murder, that is what this must be**_  
 _ **I would give it all to not be sleeping alone**_  
 _ **Alone**_

"Your song?" A deep voice said. "I would love to hear it."

I gasped. "H-Harry? What are you doing here?"

"I happened to be in town and I wanted to see you. Bad."

I looked up into his emerald eyes and I could see they were tearing up.

"You're still as beautiful as I remember you to be," he says cupping my cheek gently.

 _ **It was a past life, a beautiful time**_  
 _ **Drunk off of nothing but each other 'til the sunrise**_

I leaned into his touch as I always did.

"Can I kiss you?" he asks quietly.

I slowly nod my head and lean closer to his face. Our lips collide gently and hesitantly as if not to ruin the moment.

 _ **They say that true love hurts, well this could almost kill me**_  
 _ **Young love murder, that is what this must be**_  
 _ **I would give it all to not be sleeping alone**_  
 _ **Alone**_

After our kiss, I played the song I wrote for Harry because he wanted to hear it. When I was done he just stared at me for a moment before kissing my cheek.

"Was that about us?" he asks.

"Yeah," I reply sheepishly. "I didn't have any other ideas and I needed to get some things off my chest from the past. So I thought, 'Hey why not write a song about it?' And here we are!"

He chuckles. "Well, I'm glad you did, because that is one of the best songs I've heard in a long time."

"Thanks," I reply smiling.

 _ **The life is fading from me while you watch my heart bleed**_  
 _ **Young love murder, that is what this must be**_  
 _ **I would give it all to not be sleeping alone**_  
 _ **Alone**_


	6. Chapter 6

"Before you leave me, today..." The crowd went wild as One Direction finished the last song of their concert. The 5 boys waved, and blew kisses as they ran out backstage.

I grinned, and we all shared a group hug. "That was amazing guys!" I was so proud of them, especially for winning a Brit Award so soon in their career, just two days ago.

"Thanks, Parker." Louis ruffled my hair, and smiled. I scowled, and removed his hand. I smoothed down my hair and looked at Harry. He gave me a small smile, and then started to talk to Liam. I sighed, but lit up at Niall's suggestion.

"Let's all go out for burgers to celebrate!" He said in his thick Irish accent. I couldn't help but giggle at his constant request for food, so we decided to go anyway.

I looked up at the bright menu as we stood in line at McDonalds.

"Hm... no, not that..." I bit my lip as I read the choices. It was 11 p.m. at night, but there was still a long queue to cure the midnight munchies. Everyone was staring at us in pure shock, but didn't say anything.

Zayn put his hands on my shoulders, and I looked up at him. "What are you getting?" He asked me, grinning. I shrugged and sighed in exasperation.

"I do this everytime. I'm hungry, but I just don't want anything." He laughed at me, and took his hands off my shoulder, to hug me.

"Are you okay?" He looked at me intently, and I sighed.

"I'm fine Zayn," I smiled. "Really." He looked at me, and finalised agreeing with me.

"Alrighty, then." He winked at me, and then moved over to find a table. I cannot believe of all the places we could go, we decided on McDonalds. Oh, well.

I decided to just get a Big Mac, because I was actually really hungry. We sat at a back booth, and the table was buzzing as we talked about the concert. The only person who wasn't talking was Niall, who was devouring his food like a bulldozer.

Now, you might think I am the luckiest girl in the world for being able to even know One Direction. But thing is, I've been Harry's best friend since Kindergarten. The guys are really close to me since I met them the week after Harry auditioned for the X-Factor. To me, they're normal people.

"HARRY I LOVE YOU!" Screamed a teenage girl, running over here to get an autograph, making me jump. I was the first one on the booth seat, and I had to lean over because Harry was seated next to me.

"Woah!" He laughed like it was no big deal, and signed her paper.

She squealed and leaped onto him. I groaned as her elbow collided with my stomach.

Niall was cracking up through all of this, and almost choked on his food. I sat here, in heaps of pain, while Harry tried to lift the girl up. "Thanks for the excitement, I guess, but your hurting Parker." He frowned, and she snapped back up.

A middle aged woman, probably her mom, shook her head and took the girl by her waist. "I love you." She mouthed.

I rubbed my tummy, and shoved a couple of french fries in my mouth. Harry looked at me, guilt in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry Parker." I nodded and waved my hand in the air.

"Yeah, it's okay." I took a bite of my burger as Louis leaned over to Harry, and smiled.

"Trouble in paradise buddy?" He chuckled at his own joke, and Harry slapped him on the arm.

"Shut up Lou."

We all crowded in the 5 seater car at midnight, Liam at the drivers seat, Zayn in the passengers and Louis, Niall, Harry and I in the back. I had to share a seat with one of them, and they all voted Harry to. I blushed as he pulled the seatbelt over us. It was really squishy, and a long ride home.

"Harry, could you move over a tad?" I asked, desperately trying to wriggle free. "My hair is stuck in the seatbelt." I tugged at my praline colored hair that was caught between the seatbelt, but it wouldn't budge.

"Here Parker, lemme fix it..." Harry leaned in as close as he could to pull my hair out from the seat belt.

"Ow Harry! Can't you get it out?!" I yelled, and this made Louis laugh. "Oh God Lou!" I shook my head, but this pulled my hair too much. "Harry hurry up!"

"Calm down Parker! I'm trying! Stop complaining!" Harry yelled even louder, and let go of my hair with force, and I sat back. I had never been screamed at this loud by Harry. It felt like a slap in the face, that had made a massive mark. My heart was still beating with loud thumps. The car was silent. Louis' laughing had died down, and Zayn and Liam had stopped chatting.

"Sorry..." Harry and I mumbled at the same time. Except his voice sounded gruff, and I had never been so scared of Harry in my life.

What was wrong with him? Why was he acting so weird tonight?

"We're here!" Liam cheered, finally being able to get out of the tension filled car. Harry stumbled out quickly, and I realised my eyes were brimmed with tears. I followed out, relaxing at the thought of sleep.

"Wake up Parker..."A gentle singing voice flowed into my sleep. "We have some yummy breakfast prepared for you..." This sentence was followed by some giggles, and I popped my eyes open. Niall was on one knee by my bed, guitar in hands, singing to me to wake up. I laughed and sat up.

"I'm trying to sleep Nialler!" I said and snatched the guitar out of his hands.

"Hey!" He joined my laughter, and I started roughly strumming the strings.

"THAT'S WHAT MAKES YOU BEAUTIFUL!" I bellowed, loudly plucking random notes on the guitar. I stood up and danced around for emphasis.

Niall gasped. "Your gonna break the strings!" He crept up behind me while I was singing, and threw his hands around my waist. We were both in fits of giggles as he moved his hands around to grab hold of the guitar.

I tried to slap him, until Harry walked in. "Parker, we need to ta..." His voice trailed off as he looked up. Niall and I had stopped laughing and he quickly released his hands from my body. I took a step away. "Oh, never- never mind." Harry sounded choked up, and he ran out of the room.

I looked at Niall with a worried expression, and ran out behind him.

"Harry, wait!" I yelled, my wavy hair flailing out behind me. I heard the back door closed and I followed it.

Sure enough, there was Harry, sitting on the ground. I quietly walked outside and sat beside him.

"You okay?" I asked, picking at the strands of grass. He stared up at the sky, thinking.

"No." I bit my lip, as he talked more. "I'm sorry I yelled at you." He squinted at me in the sunlight. "I was just confused..." He stopped talking, as if he didn't know what to say.

"It's alright Harry." I scooted closer to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. He squirmed a bit, and I decided to drop it.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, while Harry stared at the clouds and I pulled out some grass. I have to stop doing this.

"Do you believe in love at first sight Parker?" He turned to look at me, his face intent. I couldn't help but laugh.

"No way!" It came to realisation. "Oh my god! Are you in love?! It's Danielle, isn't it!" I squealed in delight, only remembering that she was with Liam. "Oh, well, it's okay, I mean you can always-"

"No?" He looked at me, a confused expression on his face. I flushed of embarrassment. "Just forget it." Harry looked like he wanted to get up and walk away.

"I'm sorry Harry. I'm your best friend, you can tell me anything. I know I was being inconsiderate, but you know how I am. My brain just speaks before it thinks." I grinned, and he smiled slightly. I clapped my hands. "Good your happy now! How about we go inside and-"

"It's you Parker." His legs were stretched out in front of him now, and he moved closer to me.

Wait, what?

"What?" I repeated dumbly.

"I'm in love with you." My heart dropped to my stomach. Did I hear right? "I mean, I've always liked you. But I never knew I was in love with you until we won the Brit. As I was standing on stage, accepting the award, you were right there cheering me on. That's how it's been all my life, and I realised something. How my stomach always flips when I'm around you, how my heart beats faster and how I just want to impress you. When I saw you that night, you looked beautiful, and I was confused with how I felt last night. I yelled at you because..."

I was listening, hardly believing my ears. "Because why Harry?"

"Because I was frustrated. I didn't know why I liked you so much, and I thought I could just convince myself your nothing more than my friend. But I couldn't Parker, and I screamed because my feelings were mixed up. I never meant to hurt you, and I almost beat myself up that night. Until that night I also came to my conclusion that I was in love with you, and that was that."

I couldn't speak. I could not believe my best friend Harry Styles was just admitting that he loved me, right here. I have heard about best friends getting together, and how they say it's magical. I never thought it would happen. I mean it's cheesy, but when you actually experience it, it's different.

Harry smiled, waiting for a response.

"I love you too Harry." I said, and shyly looked at the ground.

"You do?"

I nodded, and his face flooded with relief.

He moved the hair away from my face, and tilted my chin up so he could kiss me.

As we pulled away, he whispered something.

"That turned out better than expected."

And I laughed.


	7. Chapter 7

~Raye Walters P.O.V.

"Harry, what the heck are you doing?" I teased, as he walked behind me with his hands over my eyes.

"Just wait!" He grinned, and I could hear the excitement in his eyes. I could hear a door opening, and my bare feet squishing into soft carpet.

"Where are we?"

"Ta-da!" Harry cheered, and I opened my eyes to a cosy apartment building. Wait... I know this apartment. In fact, I've been in this apartment a million times. It was Harry's beautifully styled house, with a crisp beige/white theme, even if it was sometimes quite dirty.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh gee Harry, how exciting."

He laughed, and took my hand, leading me down the hallway. "Just you wait Missy Raye."

I was greeted by Harry's bedroom, and the only difference was a double bed. Shock greeted me.

"Are you and Louis...?" My eyes widened. No no no no!

Harry scowled, and shook his head. "Don't be stupid. It's for you!" What?!

"Move in with me!" He grinned, and outstretched his arms as if I was going to hug him.

I was still extremely confused, unaware of what had hit me. Harry and I had been together for about a year now, and it's very clear we really like each other. Neither of us had used the love word yet, although I know we were almost there.

This was just one step forward.

"Yeeeeess!" I yelled, running into his arms. He lifted me up and spun me around.

"I'm glad." He said, and we kissed happily.

"Does that mean we can get rid of that ugly chair?" I asked cutely, wrapping my arms around his neck, referring to the large brown chair he's had for years. He tapped me lightly on the nose, and grinned.

"You wish, Raye." He walked out of the room, chuckling to himself.

"Finally!" I exclaimed, exhausted, flopping onto my new bed in Harry's room. Clothes, shoes, books, makeup, handbags ect. were scattered all over the floor as I unpacked. My camera was hanging loosely from the head of the bed by it's strap.

Lisa stood up, staring at all my items."I'm not cleaning this up." She said coolly as she drawled out a puff of smoke from her cigarette , and I stood up.

"I don't expect you to, I just need your help." Lisa is one of my best friends, but also one of the meanest girls in school. As soon as she found out I was dating Harry Styles, she stuck to me like a fly. Too bad Harry hates her. "Oh, and don't smoke in my room, please."

She rolled her eyes, opened the window, and threw the shrivelled cigar out into the air. "Happy?"

We started to pack away the items into drawers, cupboards and listening to music. We danced around, laughing until Harry walked in. "Hey babe." He smiled sweetly, and walked over to me, putting an arm around my shoulder. "Oh... Lisa, hi." Harry squirmed awkwardly.

"Hey Harry." She winked flirtaciously, and I glowered at her. I was distracted by a loud ringing.

"That's my phone. I'll be back soon." I ducked out from Harry's arm, and snaked out of the room. I grabbed my iPhone from the marble counter in the kitchen and held it to my ear. "Hello? Oh, hey Louis."

"What's up Raye?"

"I'm just at your place. Well, your ex-place." I teased.

"Oh, haha. I'm still going to visit, like every day."

"You wish Lou!"

"Well, I'm coming over now to pick up some stuff."

"See you soon then, Louis. My room is a mess!" I giggled.

"Good luck with that. Bye!" The phone automatically switched off as he hung up, so I placed it in my pocket and padded back down to my room.

Just in time to see Harry locking lips with Lisa.

"What the hell are you doing Harry!?" I screamed. Except I said a word a bit more colorful than hell.

"Oh my god, Raye." He looked bewildered as he pulled away, his eyes wide. Lisa was smirking, having another cigarette.

"GET OUT!" I screamed as hard as I could, shooting Lisa the dirtiest look I could. She laughed evily, drawing in another puff of smoke, and sauntered out. My face filled with sadness as I turned towards Harry.

"You... I can't believe you!" Harry clenched his jaw, his blue green eyes filled with guilt.

"I can explain!" He insisted, but I cut him off. I felt betrayed, angry, stupid.

"Your an idiot Harry! Why would you kiss my best friend!?"

Harry laughed sarcastically. "I'm the idiot? Your the one who is friends with her in the first place!"

I felt like I had been punched. Hard. In the stomach. You can insult me, but not my friends! Even if she is kinda bitchy, she is still amazing.

"Oh my god, Harry. Is that really what you think? You kissed her for God's sake!"

"I didn't want to!" He defended. I shook my head.

"Oh, no, of course not. You tripped and your lips landed on hers. My mistake!" I rolled my eyes, about to walk out, until a big crash was heard.

My Canon camera came flying next to me, smashing against the painted walls. I gasped, and ducked as the interior and exterior pieces came whizzing in all different directions. Ironically, my SD card slashed me in the arm, leaving a small cut.

"DON'T YOU WALK AWAY FROM ME RAYE." He bellowed, curling his fists into a ball. I took a step back. This was our first fight in a long time, and it was full on. I was still adorned with anger, and I couldn't let him win. Not this time.

"Or else what?" I teased angrily, frowning.

"Your not living here. No way." He shook his head. "It was a stupid idea. Just forget it."

I sniffed, holding back tears.

"I don't need you anyway Harry Styles. Your a rude, self-centered slut and I don't want you."

He seemed to be taken aback by my words, but then his face twisted into disgust.

"Just, get out. Now." His voice raised a little, and I scowled. My eyes were filling with tears quickly, so I put my head down letting my long brown hair rest on either side of my face so he couldn't see me. I gathered most of my stuff, and ran out of his bedroom.

I let the tears spill, and as I exited the front door, I knocked into Louis.

"Hey, Raye, what's wrong!?" He yelled, but I kept going, in fear of being caught crying.

[start playing music]

~Harry Styles P.O.V

I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. It's been a week without Raye, and I haven't slept. Nor eaten.

I miss hearing her voice, I miss her beauty and I most of all miss her. I'm such a freaking idiot. If I hadn't have kissed Lisa, I would have been with Raye right now, kissing her.

As I was thinking, Louis burst through the door. "Harry, get up!" He yelled, shaking me.

"What the hell do you want?!"

"It's Lisa. She's in the hospital." I sat up, confused.

"What? Why?"

Louis looked down, and sighed. "She had a stroke. Raye has been crying all day, you have to come now."

I shook my head. "Lou, I care about Lisa. But I can't see Raye again. It's over, and it's all too much." I knew inside, I still wanted her.

Louis looked at me like I was crazy. "Your never going to get her back if you don't talk to her man. And I know what you wanted to do. You can't expect Raye to come crawling back to you Harry. What you did is something women never forget. Just talk to her. Please." Louis was sitting next to me now, and I closed my eyes.

Memories of Raye flooded back. Our first date in the park, after I told her I liked her. Our first kiss at her front door. The first time she met the boys, and how she thought they were goofballs. How we spent the whole night under the stars, talking and laughing.

I'd do anything to see her again. Anything.

"Fine. Let's go."

~Raye Walters P.O.V.

I sat in the waiting chair, crying. Strangers heads swivelled to look at me, but I didn't care. In fact, I felt like yelling at every one of them. I haven't slept well in a week, I feel tired and sad. I haven't spoken to Harry in a long time. I miss him alot. I am going crazy over the fact that Lisa could be dead. Any moment now.

"Raye!" I sniffed, and looked up to see Louis. Slowly followed by Harry. My auburn eyes looked to the ground as my stomach flipped. I could tell he hadn't brushed his hair in a long time, and his clothes were crumpled. Maybe he was having a bad week too...? No, no. He made it clear that he hated me. Ugh.

Louis sat next to me, and I started bawling all over again. Harry got up and walked away. "I can't do this." I heard Harry say exhaustedly to Louis, as he got up. Louis put his arm around me.

"Hey, hey, shh... It's gonna be okay." He tried to comfort me. All the pain from the past week hit me like a bang, and I felt weak.

"Lou-lou-louis. I can't do this either!" I sobbed, stuttering with my words. My breath came out shaky, and my words didn't make sense. I grabbed onto his shirt. "My life is falling apart." I whispered harshly, and I realised something. I was going crazy. Louis shook his head.

"Raye, what's wrong? Are you alright?" Next thing I knew, I was on the ground, my life fading to black.

"She's fine, she just fainted, is all." I heard a doctor say. I fluttered my eyes open, and was greeted by a blurry vision of Louis, and... Harry. I stood up quickly, ignoring the dizziness.

"I'm okay." I said, choked up. "I'm leaving. Call me if Lisa is okay." I snatched my coat from Louis and started walking out the door. I looked up at the rain, and cursed. I grabbed my umbrella out of my handbag, and fumbled to get it open. "Stupid..." I muttered. I heard footsteps in the rain behind me.

"Need a hand?" A voice behind me inquired. This voice made me drop the umbrella, and look to the ground.

"N-No thanks." I murmured, and I started to tread away. A large hand grabbed my shoulder, and spun me around gently.

"Where do you think your going?" Harry asked softly, smiling ever so slightly.

I ran my hands through my wet hair, and looked into Harry's eyes. I sighed defeated, and he looked at me. "What do you want Harry?"

He shrugged a little and took a step forward. He had his hands in his pockets, and I could smell his cologne. "I have something that I need to do. And you know, it's okay if you don't agree. I completely understand because... we're not on the best terms. But..."

He dug for something in his pocket, and lifted out what I saw as a small velvet blue box. My heart leaped, and I could feel my stomach swarming with butterflies. Harry got on one knee below me, the rain still dropping hard.

I held my hands over my mouth, and smiled. Smiled for the first time in a week.

"Raye Walters. The girl who I have been, or was, going out with for a year. The most beautiful girl I have ever laid eyes on. The girl who I have had a huge fight with, that left me in tears and heartbreak. I love that girl." He felt relieved to be able to say it, and I let out a small gasp. He said the love word.

"Raye, I do love you. I have loved you for a long time. I'm sorry, so so so sorry about what happened. I never want it to happen again, because I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He looked down at the box, and I could tell his hands were shaking as he opened it. Inside rested a beautiful silver ring, adorned with a pale ice blue diamond on it.

"The reason I'm um, here, is because I want to ask you a question that could dramatically change my life. For the better or the worst." We both let out a nervous, shaky laugh.

"So, Raye Walters, will you marry me?" As he uttered the last four words, I stopped breathing. All that was heard was the pitter patter of rain, and Harry's quivering breath. I bit my lip to stop from chattering of coldness, and I nodded slowly.

"Yes." I whispered. "Yes." Harry leapt up and threw his arms around my neck.

"I'm so sorry Raye. I'm so sorry. I love you so much." He muttered into my hair, and a tear ran down my face.

"I love you too Harry Styles." I smiled into his oversized coat, and he pulled away slowly. My hands were wobbling like crazy as he slid the ring onto my middle finger.

My lips trembled under the rain, and he kissed me, warming my whole body. It just occured to me that Harry is my husband to be.

"Raye, your amazing. I can't picture my life without you." He held my hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze as he said it. I blushed, and rested my head on his shoulder.

"You too Harry. You too." We looked at each other, smiling, but we were interrupted by Louis.

"She's awake!" He cheered. I rushed into the hospital still gripping Harry's hand, and we saw Lisa. She was laying in bed, her face looking pale and sunken. When she smiled, she still looked beautiful, though.

"Congratulations." She croaked, and I flushed.

"Thanks. I'm really glad your feeling better." I smiled at her, and we talked for a little bit. After about a half hour, Louis called me out.

"Why do you keep calling me, Louis?" I asked, laughing, and looked at the hospital waiting room. It was empty, except for a giant sign that said "GO OUTSIDE"

I squinted to make sure I read it clearly, and I tip-toed outside. The rain had settled, and my ring glistened under the newly made rainbow in the sky. I beamed under the brightness of the day.

I turn around and saw Harry walking towards me. My heart fluttered with happiness.

"I think we were interrupted during something special..." He grinned, and I walked closer to him. We kissed, and I felt amazing.

"How did I get so lucky?" I asked him, fiddling with his fingers. He intertwined his hand with mine.

"I was just about to ask you the same question."


	8. Chapter 8

Harry's P.O.V.

 _We were mates, that's all. Nothing more, nothing less. But I wanted it to be more. I wanted it to be so much more. I knew she didn't like me that way, though. I mean, she dated Louis for three and a half years. She freaking loved him. How did I know that? Every time she looked at him, she got a smile on her face and a beautiful glint in her gorgeous brown eyes. Sure, I got the smile. But I never got the glint._

 _I guess now, looking back on it, I never deserved her in the first place. I was an awful best friend to her. I broke her heart. Well, I myself didn't do it myself. But I was the cause of her heartbreak._

 _Her, Louis and I were hanging out one day at her house. She was happy; laughing, being crazy with Louis, her usual self. Louis got up to get a drink of water, and she turned and started talking to me. I don't even remember what the conversation was about. All I could do was watch her lips move. Then, – before I even knew what I was doing – I kissed her. I regretted the kiss immediately, (but in the back of my mind I didn't; I had been wanting to kiss her for seven years) but I was surprised (and couldn't help but love it) when she suddenly kissed me back._

 _I had seen her and Louis kiss before. It was usually just a peck, or a five-to-ten-second kiss. This one was filled with much more lust than what I had seen, and she kissed me back deeply._

 _The sound of glass breaking made us fling back. Louis was standing there, with a pile of broken glass at his feet. His jaw was unhinged, and his eyes were wide. "She kissed me first!" I yelled out of panic. Louis looked from me to her, then turned and walked away. "Louis!" she began, obviously startled. "Save it," Louis hissed, turning and walking out the door. "No!" she jumped up and scrambled after him, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Louis please! Please!" But he was already gone._

 _She turned on me. "I HATE YOU!" she screamed, stabbing me in the heart. "I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN! GET OUT OF HERE!" She sobbed and stomped by me, screaming nonsense. Saddened, I left her house._

 _Yeah, what a great lad I am, right? The code states no flirting with sisters, female friends, and_ especially _girlfriends. I made a mess of myself by lying to one of my best friends, I destroyed a relationship between two of my best friends, and I lost my love. I'm fucking Romeo._

I looked up from my journal. I was laying on the floor of the studio, on break. I needed to get the story off my chest; my journal was completely blank otherwise. Louis walked in, chatting happily with Niall. I swallowed and looked up at them. "Hey, Harry. What's that?" Niall asked, his voice rich with a familiar Irish accent. "Nothing," I closed my journal and shoved it into my bag. Niall and Louis looked confused for a moment, then continued talking, taking two of the chairs.

I looked around and swallowed. It had been three months since the mistake. Everyday the lie that I told Louis, the kiss that was never meant to be…. They haunted me. I couldn't sleep at night, and I couldn't act the same around Louis. If he knew something was up, he never questioned me about it. He probably thought I missed her as my best friend, or that she had cheated on him with me.

Suddenly, the words were out before I could even think about what to say: "I kissed her first!"

Louis looked up, startled, as Zayn and Liam walked into the studio. "What?" Louis asked. I looked around at my friends, and inhaled sharply. There was no turning back now. "I…. Kissed…. Her….. First…." I replied slowly, as though I had to think of each word before I said it.

Louis' eyes clouded with emotion, but the one that stood out the most was hurt. Hurt that I had kissed his girlfriend first, hurt that I had lied to him. I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came to mind. I hated myself. Louis was innocent, carefree, sweet, and loyal. He didn't deserve this.

"I'm…. I'm sorry…."

Really? Was that the best that I could do? I frowned, knowing I would lose Louis now, and most likely the others as well. I felt tears well up in my eyes at the thought of losing them. Then, Louis spoke out, using the four words I never thought he'd use: "Do you love her?"

I slowly looked up at him, "What?" I stammered, feeling a tear slip down my cheek. Louis squatted down in front of me, "Do you love her?" he asked again. A thousand thoughts rushed through my head. How could Louis be so kind and gentle to me after I lied to him and kissed his girlfriend? I choked on my own words, only getting out a single answer. "Y-Yes."

Louis smiled and stood up, "Then go after her mate!" I slowly stood up, wiping the tears away with the back of my hand. "You're not…. You're not mad?" I asked quietly. Louis smirked, "Nah. I always knew she loved you, anyways." I shook my head, "She always loved you, Louis. Did you see the way she always looked at you?" Louis looked as though two bunny ears had just popped out of the top of my skull. "That's all in your head mate. She loves _you_! Now get out there and show her how much you love her!"

Louis shoved me towards the studio door, and I thanked him quietly, apologizing one more time. Louis dismissed me with a wave of his hand and opened the door for me. As I left, the boys called "Good luck" to me. I sure as hell would need it.

 _I walked up her front porch and stopped, staring at her door. I finally got the courage to get up and ring the doorbell. A few seconds later, the door flew open. There she was, standing there. The love of my life. She was dressed in a sweatshirt and sweatpants, her hair tied up, and no makeup on at all. And she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen._

 _The moment she saw me, I saw a smile suddenly appear on her face. But the smile vanished immediately. "I thought I told you to get out and never come back," she growled darkly, leaning against the doorframe. She grinded her heel into her floor, and I smirked; I knew her all too well. I knew she always would grind her heel when she lied or tried to hide something._

 _"I…. I came to apologize," I began slowly. "So, I'm sorry I kissed you and then lied to Louis. But…. I talked to Louis and he's okay." She stood up straight. "Louis' okay?" she asked quietly. I nodded. "And…. I really miss you and I need to talk to you again and I know that you probably still hate me but it's been three months that I've had to spend without you and I love you so much and….." I continued to ramble, but was cut off by her laughter._

 _She continued to laugh, and then stepped to the side of the doorway, holding her arm out. "Come on in, Harry," she smiled warmly at me. "We have three months of catching up to do."_


	9. Chapter 9

I sat in my living room, staring at the tv. The X-Factor UK was playing for the 600th time. The show was really good, and I loved it. But I loved watching Harry more.

He came back on the screen, and my eyes became warm. I didn't know I was crying until warm water dripped down my cheeks. I didn't know I was sobbing until a whine escaped my throat, and I cried out.

Footsteps hurried down the stairs, and my older brother, Evan, sat down next to me. He paused the movie and pulled me close to him as I sobbed. "Sh... Sh... Please, Dylan... Don't cry... Not on your birthday..."

Slowly, I sat up, tears still pouring out of my eyes. "I know you hate him, but-" I cut my brother off. "Hate him?" I choked. "Anything but hate him. He's doing great." I gestured to the screen, where Harry was holding up the microphone, singing his heart out to 'Torn'. "He's out living his dream. I just miss him..."  
I choked on my tears again. Getting up, I looked at Evan. "I'm going out," I headed to the front door and left, feeling Evan's sorrowful eyes staring after me.

It was the middle of summer. It was burning out, the temperature probably 80 degrees.

And I was chilled to the bone.

I had lived 6 months without him. Six painful, long, tear-filled months. I would give anything to see Harry again. To kiss him just one more time...

"Hey Dylan," A voice made me spin around. "Harry?!" I cried out. But nobody was there. I furrowed my brow in confusion. Then, his voice continued. "I love you. Now pick up your damn phone, haha."  
I sighed, reaching into my back pocket. Harry had set my ringtone to his voice... I never had the heart to change it back... I looked at my phone and a picture of my second oldest brother, Jasper, lit up my screen. There was one text message:

 **COME HOME NOW. EMERGENCY!**

I broke off into a run, heading home. I hated myself for actually believing Harry would be here... I got to my front door and swung it open. Everything was pitch black. "Jasper?" I called out, my voice shaking. "Tyler? Evan?"

Suddenly, the stereo sprang to life. It was playing, "This Is the Life" by Two Door Cinema Pub. Immediately, my heart started to hurt. That was our song... Mine and Harry's...

I started to cry again as the room lit up. A banner was strung across the living room, reading: HAPPY BIRTHDAY DYLAN! Balloons and streamers covered the ground. And I screamed.  
I didn't scream because of the music. I didn't scream because of the decorations. I screamed because there was someone standing there, in the middle of my living room.

His dark brown hair was casually curly, messy as always. His brown eyes were glowing, and a crooked grin lined his face. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with his casual sneakers.

"Happy birthday, Dylan," his voice was like a symphony to my ears. I covered my mouth, sobbing. I didn't know how, but suddenly, Harry's arms were around me, holding my close to him as I cried into his shoulder. "Ssshhh, baby girl. I'm right here... I'm right here..."

I looked up at him and smiled... And I kissed him. Oh, how I had missed to kiss those lips. How missed feeling his warmth against me, his arms around my waist and my hands tangled in his hair.

"Harry, mate, I love you and all, but it's really quite disturbing to see you make out with my sister."

Tyler's voice made us pull apart. I sent a glare towards my brothers. "I was enjoying myself, you know." Harry laughed, and I laughed too.

"I'm sorry I never visited before," Harry murmured, stroking my hair carefully. "I just was so busy before... I never stopped thinking about you." "I never stopped thinking about you either," I whispered. "But I'm here now." Harry said softly, pressing his forehead to mine. Then I realized... It would hurt to much more when he left.

"But you'll be leaving soon..." I whispered, touching Harry's face.

"Yes, I will be," Harry agreed. "But not alone." My face broke out into a smile. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?" I screamed, laughing. Harry laughed and shook his head. "Nope! You're going on tour with me and the rest of One Direction!"

I pulled him into a Hug. "Harry, I love you!" I cried. "I love you too, Dylan..." Harry murmured into my hair. I smiled and closed my eyes. I was ready to say goodbye to my home in England and say hello to my new life with

Harry Styles..

Harry Styles: my best friend.

Harry Styles: my boyfriend.

Harry Styles: my Brit.


	10. Chapter 10

"Let's go, boys!" Louis Tomlinson called, walking ahead of the rest of the group. "Slow down, Louis! It's honestly to dark to see anything right now!" Liam replied, flashing his torch around to catch Louis, who playfully avoided the light.

I looked around the woods. The boys and I were heading down a dark path. We had decided to camp out that night, but Niall took too long packing food, so we ended up leaving at dark. And to say the least, I was terrified.

"Scared?" Harry taunted, gently poking my stomach. "Shove off!" I retorted, knocking his hand away.

"Guys, can you /please/ not fight?" Zayn asked, looking over his shoulder. "Only if he stops being a bitch," I growled, pushing Harry away. "Only if the bitch fucks off," Harry retorted. My jaw dropped. "I'm a bitch?" I gasped. "Have you looked in the mirror lately?" "Yes, I have, actually! And I look goddam better than you!" Harry yelled.

"Will you both just shut the fuck up?" yelled Niall, dropping his backpack on the ground. "Liam, you know Kaitlyn and Harry don't get along," Zayn sighed. "Why'd you invite her?" "Because she's my best mate and we haven't spent quality time with her since the tour," Liam replied, wrapping me up in a side hug. "Someone help me with the tent!" Louis randomly called from underneath a sheet. I laughed and walked off to help him.

Several hours later, after set-up, s'mores, scary stories, and some arguing, we were all finally asleep. At about two am, I woke up after rolling on a rock. Looking around, I saw each boy sleeping peacefully - except one sleeping bag was empty: Harry's.

Getting up, I carefully stepped over the boys towards Harry's sleeping bag. Sure enough, he wasn't there. Eyes narrowing, I picked up Niall's torch from beside my foot and flicked the switch, silently heading into the woods.

"Harry?" I called softly. "Harry, I swear to god if this is a prank I am going to fucking kill you."

After a few more minutes of silent walking, I heard a twig snap. I jumped, dropping the flashlight onto the ground, making the light go out. "Ah shit," I growled, feeling around the ground in the darkness. I stepped forward and fell.

Tumbling down the hill, I screamed at the top of my lungs. Finally, I hit a tree at the bottom of the hill, and slammed into my side. I panted for a minute, absolutely terrified. I tried to get up, but my ribs and leg killed. I was absolutely certain I had broken both.

Suddenly, a dark figure came into sight. I winced as I attempted to hide against the tree, but the thing had already seen me. I let out an ear-piercing scream as a bright light flashed in my eyes.

"Kaitlyn?!" the figure cried. I stopped screaming, and my eyes finally adjusted to see Harry running up to me. "Bloody hell, what the fuck happened to you?!" he cried, wiping the dirt from my face.

"I-I went out to look for you," I stammered. "I t-tripped and..."

"Oh my god..." Harry sighed, examining my leg with the flashlight. "You can't walk, I'm guessing?" he asked. I  
shook my head, biting my lower lip and looking down.

"Well," Harry sat down on the ground. "Looks like I'm hanging here for the night until the sun comes up. I'm not leaving you here alone in the dark."

After a few moments of silence, I finally spoke. "Why do you hate me?" I asked softly. Harry smiled and shook his head. "What?" I asked, offended. "I'm far from hating you, Kaitlyn," he replied. Now I was getting aggravated. "If you don't hate me, then why are you such a dick-" I was cut off as his lips slammed into mine.

I immediately kissed back, raising my hand to gently press it against his cheek. Finally, he pulled away, and pulled me into his chest. "Honestly, that broken leg is the best thing that ever happened to me," Harry told me. "I've wanted to kiss you for years."

I smiled to myself and curled up against his chest, careful not to hurt myself. "You," I told him. "Are the best thing that ever happened to me." 


	11. Chapter 11

**Ellie POV**

"Calm down, Rae, I'm sure we'll be there soon enough," I chastised my younger sister, looking out the window. Below, there was little more than the vast blue ocean and a yellowish line that marked the coast of England, the country that would be my new home. I flicked my long wavy brown hair with my perfectly painted red nails and sighed, going back to my book. I liked to read when I was travelling, it was just an easier way to fill in the hours. My small button nose twitched as I felt a sneeze coming on. If what I'd heard of British weather was correct, I guess I'd be expecting a red nose for the rest of my schooling years.

I'm Ellie Ross, and there's not really much to report about myself. I have really fair skin that burns easily, long, wavy brown hair and blue eyes that change to a grey colour depending on my mood or when I'm sick. I wasn't the type of person you'd expect coming from America to live in England; it should probably be the other way around. Anyway, my father works at Syco Music, a branch of Sony Music that signs talented musical artists, including the finalists from X Factor or America's Got Talent/Britain's Got Talent. It was founded by Simon Cowell, who was good friends with my dad. And before you get the wrong idea, he's not too much of a jerk in real life. Just on tv.

Perhaps you're wondering why my and my younger sister Rae are moving to England? Well, my dad got transferred from the Los Angeles branch of Syco to the London branch. He's going to become the manager for the new boyband to come out of Britain's X Factor called 'One Direction', and they're all about my age. This is a really good thing for him. After mum passed away at the end of last year from cancer, I've been the only one to do all the chores; Rae is just too young for that. Dad got depression, so I had to basically look after all the family affairs. At least he's back at home now in England and close to friends. Hopefully we'll get the support we need from the Cowells. It'll be like a fresh start for all of us. Although, I'm still not sure about the constant cloudy weather…

I picked Rae off the seat and carried her out of the plane once it had landed. We walked off to the baggage returns and I picked up the bag, stepping out into the busy airport. There should at least be a sign with our names scribbled on it. Dad had promised he'd pick us up.  
"Ellie? Rae?" A young, British accent called out to us. I scanned the crowd and found myself staring into the eyes of a boy with dark brown curly hair and an incredibly wide grin. I squeaked and Rae giggled at me. He was standing by four other boys which I recognized to be One Direction.  
"Hi," I greeted, walking over. Immediately, the smiling boy grabbed our bag and rolled it around, walking with it. I followed and walked with the other boys not far behind.

"So you're Ellie? Woah, you're dad said you'd be pretty, but we thought he was just being biased." I blushed and looked at a boy with straight light brown hair brushed to one side.  
"I'm Liam," he held out a hand and I shook it. "This is Zayn, Louis, Niall, and the one with your bags is Harry," he said, nodding to each of the boys in turn. I nodded to each with a smile.  
"This is my little sister Rae," I said. She babbled and I rocked her back and forth. "Its nice to meet all of you. But if you don't mind my asking, where's my dad?"  
"Ah, he got caught up with paperwork," the boy called Louis responded. "He asked us to come pick you up." I nodded.  
"Wait, do any of you drive?" They all laughed.  
"No, we've got a limo." My eyes widened to the size of saucers.  
"OK then."

 **Harry POV**

I couldn't believe it. Our new manager's daughter was so hot! She had amazing blue eyes that seemed to dazzle in the overhead lights of the airport. Everything about her, down to her light, translucent skin and cute button nose screamed beautiful to me. Actually, I was at a loss for words. I couldn't say anything to this new girl, even though I was usually one of the loudest as chief joker in One Direction. When she opened her mouth and began to talk I could swear I melted just because of her voice. Her American accent wasn't like the stereotypical ones you hear on tv, instead it was lighter and understandable. Her voice matched her outward beauty, and I had a hunch her personality would be just as beautiful.

I could feel my cheeks redden at the thought. In embarrassment I quickly grabbed her suitcase and led the way, not turning back once to face her or the others. Perhaps it was better if I didn't draw too much attention to myself; she or the boys were bound to find out I had feelings for her, especially Louis. He seemed to read everyone's minds like an open book. I couldn't stand the idea of being rejected by her, not when she's the manager's daughter and even in rejection I'd probably have to see her every day of the week anyway. Who was I kidding? There was no way she'd fall for a joker like me. All the girls I know seem to prefer the more laid back, serious type of guy, not the one always pulling pranks and being loud.

 **Ellie POV**

"Hey Louis, what's with Harry?" I asked pointedly after one of the boys' rehearsals. Dad had appointed me one of their dance instructors because dance was one of my hobbies. It was actually a lot of fun being a dance instructor to five teenage boys, all of which had some issue or another with the whole concept of planned body movement. Especially Zayn, he had two left feet! But the thing that had been bothering me most was Harry Styles. The boy hadn't said a word to me since I had arrived here in England almost a week ago. It was almost like he was avoiding me. Was I really that repulsive? Did I smell bad or something? Why did all of this matter so much to me? Perhaps I was… falling for him?  
"I don't know, Elle," he responded, using his nickname for me. "Usually he's loud and friendly." He thought for a moment and snapped his fingers once an idea popped into his head. "Hey, I promise you I'll talk to him after rehearsal to see what's up." I nodded.

 **Harry POV**

Right after rehearsals my arm was yanked to the side by Liam.  
"What are you doing, Louis?" I asked in surprise. He merely shrugged and gave me his goofy, knowing smile.  
"You like Ellie, don't you?" he asked with a wink. I felt my ears redden, and nodded in defeat.  
"Yeah, but I know I can't have her," I complained to him. "Mr Ross would be so pissed off if I tried anything with his daughter." Louis smirked at me.  
"I don't think so, Harry. You should just ask her out." I shook my head at him.  
"She probably doesn't even like me." My friend shook his head.  
"That's not what I think." I growled and slapped him on the arm. I shook my head. He winked and nodded. "Besides Harry, you should lighten up around her. Be your usual self. You've been acting all weird and quiet recently and she's getting worried about you." With that said, the One Direction star walked off, leaving me completely stunned.

There was no way she could like me, was there? Although, throughout every dance rehearsal we had, she would always come over to me and help me out. At first I thought she was only being nice, or just trying to fix up my dance steps because I was not an amazing dancer, but Zayn was much worse and she'd still come to me first. Maybe she did return the feelings? I shook my head in anger. Curse Louis and his annoyingness! Trust Louis to stick the stupid idea that she actually liked me in my head!

 **Ellie POV**

I stood to the side and waited for Louis' verdict, but I had never expected this! Liam had persuaded me to hide on the other side of the hallway and listen to what Harry had to say, so that I'd hear it from his own mouth and not have to rely on Louis so much for the information. And I had heard every word. What Harry said was basically a confession of sorts. He really liked me. And I looked hard at myself mentally and figured I really liked him too. Louis seemed to know everything about everyone and anyone! Perhaps it would be good to try something new? I smiled and walked around the corner just as Louis passed me, giving me the thumbs up and a knowing wink. I flung myself into the corridor and stopped right in front of Harry. He gasped in surprise.

"You didn't happen to hear any of that?" he asked in embarrassment. I just smiled.  
"Every word!" Before he could respond I pressed my lips softly onto his. I smiled into the kiss as I felt him kissing me back, surprised at first but then growing in passion. As we pulled apart for air, I playfully poked him on the nose.  
"Consider your feelings reciprocated." I said with a giggle. He looked at me long and hard, his soft brown eyes searching my blue ones.  
"But what about your dad?" he asked in alarm. I shrugged him off effortlessly.  
"He won't mind. He'll just be happy that I'm happy." I responded calmly. Finally, Harry broke into an enthusiastic grin. I laughed at him, pulling his hand lovingly into my own.  
"You know, I wish I told you I liked you sooner!" he smiled, kissing me gently on the lips. I felt like I was melting into him. He tasted like a mix of apple pie and vanilla ice cream.  
"Well, I wish I had told you sooner too!" I hugged him.

After we pulled out of our hug, I looked out the window. For once, there was not a cloud in the sky. It was already late, so the stars were twinkling down at us. I sighed and turned to Harry, looking deeply into his eyes.  
"You know, this better mean free backstage passes for me for all your concerts." I giggled and he chuckled at me.  
"Don't you already get those anyway?" he said confused. I nodded and laughed at him.  
"But they'll mean so much more if I get them from you." He moved forward and kissed my cheek, walking me home under the stars.


	12. Chapter 12

"Ah crap, I forgot to do my report again, dangit!" I growled at the clock on the wall. "And my lecture's in twenty minutes!" My dorm mate giggled hysterically at me, clinging to her boyfriend Niall. I growled at her.  
"Shut up, it's not funny!" She continued to laugh and the blonde Irish teen joined in. "You shut up too, Niall. You're not on my good list yet!" This caused him to laugh louder. I huffed.  
I shared a university dorm room with my best friend since the start of high school, Erin. And yes, she was dating _the_ Niall Horan from the famous boyband One Direction. I was a fan of the boys, but I'd never admit it to their faces. They were really nice boys, and I got to see them quite often, seeing as Erin was Niall's girlfriend. It was a little awkward meeting the boys at first, but now we were all very good friends. They even managed to somehow put up with my crazy antics and dry sarcasm. I was younger than most of them, being only seventeen when I graduated from high school. Now, in uni, I was in the same lectures as a few of them, so we'd all managed to foster some pretty strong ties.

Today, as before mentioned, I had forgotten to do my report for Media studies. Which meant I was basically screwed for this semester. I was definitely looking forward to that slip of paper with a big, fat, official zero on it. Not. I grabbed my keys out of the fruitbowl and walked out of the dorm, running an agitated hand through my long, curly dark brown hair. I couldn't afford to repeat this semester of work. In fact, I could hardly afford staying at this university. I, Rina Rivera, had gotten in on a scholarship, and that was all that was keeping me in the university's doors.

After dad had died last year, our family had been doing it tough. I moved into the dorm with Erin so it was one less mouth to feed back at home. Dad had always been the main breadwinner of the family, and as mum never made it through university, she could only hold a couple of part-time jobs. This wasn't particularly brilliant when you had seven children. Yes, seven. I was the eldest of the bunch, then there were the older twins, Bill and Edward both fifteen, Flora, twelve, Annie, ten, and another set of twins, this time Rachel and Joseph, the youngest at only eight. It was hard for mum to feed so many mouths, considering only Bill, Edward and I were old enough for work. And then there were school fees on top of that… we weren't poor, but we definitely were working class citizens.

I held onto the overhead rail as I waited for my train stop. The university dorms were just one stop away, but it took a good ten minutes to get from one station to the other. I was always early, of course, because I couldn't stand being late. I constantly worry about everything. Its sort of a bad habit I have. I stepped out of the train and into the flow of usual university students that filled the gum-covered platform.

"Hey Rina." My musings were cut short by a voice I knew very well.  
"Hey Harry, what's up?" I asked. He shrugged and stood next to me.  
"Not much, how's life?"  
"Evil." He gave me a quizzical side-on glance.  
"How so?" he questioned. I growled at him, finally bursting.  
"I forgot to do the report, and I think I'm going to get kicked out!" I began blubbering in front of him. "I can't do this anymore! I should just go home and give up. My mum probably needs as much support as she can get… I'll just be stuck a check-out chick for the rest of my life." I sighed, resigned. He shook his head incredulously at me.

"You're already working four jobs as well as lectures, aren't you?" he asked knowingly. I nodded. All the money I made at my part time jobs here went straight into the eager hands of my mother. I had nothing to my own name, instead handing it all back to the woman that had brought me into the world. She needed it more than I did.  
"Well, I'm sure the lecturer will understand that you're doing it tough." He told me pointedly. I rubbed my bright green eyes.  
"No. I'm supposed to hand in a report and never miss one," I told him bluntly. "Its part of my scholarship. If I can't submit, I lose my place." He nodded, carefully bringing me into a hug. He looked down at me thoughtfully. All of a sudden, he clicked his fingers.  
"I know," he said ecstatic, "you can take my paper and hand it in." My eyes widened. He was really willing to do something like that for me? Of all people?

"No way, Harry! There's no way I could do something like that." He frowned.  
"Don't you trust my awesomeness or something?" he asked cheekily. I growled and whacked him on the head.  
"No, stupid. Its all a lie if I hand in your work!" He slipped a binder in my hand.  
"Do it," he said forcefully, "I already have a stable job. I'm doing university on the side. You know that." I nodded. "And… I couldn't bear if you got kicked out…" he started getting quieter and quieter as he spoke, as if embarrassed and slightly bemused by his own words.  
"Rina… I… I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here to go through university with me. I really love being in your company, you're such a fun person to have around. Actually, I think I'm… falling for you." I gasped. Well, that was interesting. I thought long and hard at his words. We made our way to the lecture theatre in absolute silence.

When the lecture was finally over, it was time to turn in our reports. The whole hour and a half I had been glancing across at Harry Styles every few minutes, and he had been watching me intently the whole time, his blue-green eyes conveying a longing that I couldn't understand. Sure, I had had a crush on the boy since I had first met him, but this was something far deeper than just a simple crush. There was pure and undying love written in his body language.  
It was now or never. As students got up one by one, Harry marched over to join me at the back of the line. I gave him a wary glance. His eyes looked pained. The more he watched me, the more I came to understand his emotions. And I didn't want to let him down. I knew I would feel like a backstabber if I didn't accept his offer, especially after all we've been through together and how he had just confessed his feelings to me.

I hate liars. They're the worst type of scum in the world to me. But if I went ahead with this, I'd become the very evil I hated the most. I would not only be lying to the lecturer, I would be lying to the greater university. I would be taking that scholarship only to end up rubbing it back in their faces. Worst of all, I would be lying to myself. But I would be lying to myself either way. I had lied to myself for long enough, pretending that I didn't love Harry Styles. If I didn't take that paper, I'd still be lying to myself about him.  
"I'll do it." I said. He nodded, folding the piece of paper into my hand.  
"Thankyou, Rina." He planted a soft, warm kiss on my cheek. I nodded and walked up to the lecturer slowly, following behind my peers. Once the paper was placed on the growing pile of reports that sat on the desk, I breathed out a sigh of relief. I was safe, for now. If anyone found out about this I was definitely going to be expelled, that was for sure…

But luckily for me, I never did get found out. Harry just had to walk up to the lecturer after everyone had handed his or hers in to apologise. With his super star status, he got away with little more than a warning, and a promise to have the work on the desk by the next Monday. And he delivered, rewording his work so I wouldn't get caught.

Harry and I became more than friends. He's taken me out on several dates since that day, and I have to admit we've become a very steady and reliable couple. Because he gets so much money off CD sales, some of it goes to my family. Although I protest and don't really want to be a scab off him, he gives it all anyway. Now my mother can meet the bills at the end of the month with a smile. Now the school fees can be paid back, and even the younger twins Rachel and Joseph both go to a selective school with higher fees because we can afford it. Now we don't have to declare bankruptcy. Now we can move into a larger house that actually fits the eight of us, each sharing a bedroom with only one other sibling, not three. Now my mother can put enough food on the dinner table, and me and my brothers and sisters do not go hungry. I could move back in with my family, not troubled by the hassle it could cause.  
And I owe it all to Harry. Harry, who solved all my problems. Harry, who I knew would give anything and everything for me. Harry, who I know loves me with all his heart, and who I equally love.


	13. Chapter 13

**Reann POV**

"YEAH! FRISBEE!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, running like a maniac around Louis Tomlinson's backyard. The seasons had just changed, and like every other Spring Louis' garden was filled with a whole bunch of random flowers, from lavenders to tulips, that his mother had planted. Yes, that's right. Louis Tomlinson. As in, Louis Tomlinson from the amazingly awesome boyband One Direction. Louis and I had been friends for years, actually, since I could remember really. After he went on X Factor he brought the other guys over a few times and we hung out. I was pretty much accepted into the group from the word go, as professional awesome person and best friend. When the guys had trouble, my serious side would come out and console them, but aside from that, I was just their crazy tomboy girl best friend. And of course, that's why I'm here now. Running around like a crazed maniac in Louis Tomlinson's backyard, playing Frisbee with the other boys. Yeah, so what if they're all eighteen and I'm seventeen, we still act like five year olds, so deal.

My inner ramblings were abruptly interrupted by my clumsy footing.  
"FRISBEE!" I yelled again, leaping in the air. Niall had decided to throw it between me and Harry. He had of course also decided to dive for the incriminating plaything, and I had landed right on top of him, almost falling so our lips were touching.  
"Ooof," I groaned as I found myself in a tangle of limbs. "Uh… sorry!" I blushed several shades of red as I realized who I had bumped into. I pulled myself up and ran away, quicker than before. Liam began giggling wildly and even Zayn managed to put a smirk on his usually serious face. Well, that was awkward to say the least.  
OK, so just about everyone knew that I had a crush on Harry Styles. Everyone but Harry himself, that is. Either that or he knows and thinks I'm just too much of a retard to be with. Well, he's probably right there. I mean, yeah, they're famous. They shouldn't be hanging out with hyperactive psycho girls like me that are on a never ending sugar rush. But they do.

Well, you all know everything there is about Harry Styles. You've seen it on the covers of all those glossy magazines. He's hot. With beautiful, dirty blonde curly hair that falls around his head like a halo, Harry had captured my heart, and perhaps the hearts of girls right across England and the world. His emerald green eyes always seemed to capture and entrance me to no end. Plus, his personality… so bright, cheerful, always looking for the best things in people. He was honestly the funniest boy in One Direction. He and I would often be mischievous and annoy the crap out of the other boys (especially Liam because he's such a victim). Not to mention his cute, to die for dimples! But I knew that my feelings for him would never quite be reciprocated. He's famous. He could get just about any girl he wanted, let alone someone like me. I'm plain and boring looking; brown hair, brown eyes, skin that isn't too tan and not too pale either, not tall and elegant and not cute, small and fun-size. Just average height, just average appearance. Little to entice the eyes of someone as amazing as him.

 **Harry POV**

Niall, I swear, was after me. First he throws the Frisbee between me and Reann, and next he's standing, towering above me, laughing with the others at my predicament. Stupid Niall. He knew only too well that Reann would, like me, try to catch the Frisbee extremely enthusiastically. He knew that to make me deeply embarrassed all he had to do was throw that Frisbee between the pair of us. But it wasn't just Niall. It was all of them. Liam had told me to go stand next to Reann, and I had happily complied, unaware of the evil plans the gang had fabricated for my misdemeanors. They made me so mad, but I couldn't help but love them. Stupid annoying friends!

The boys just loved playing with my feelings. They knew from the moment I first met her that I was into Reann. I've always had a thing for girls with nice, pretty faces. And Reann definitely had this. She was so cute, with her delicately woven chocolate brown hair that fell just to her shoulders, always suspended above her head in a messy bun. I loved her gorgeous, expressive brown eyes that seemed to melt me, like a sweet chocolate fondue covered strawberry.  
And today, like many other days, she was wearing clothes that I loved to see her in. She had on her favourite bright purple converse shoes that had been muddied and worn with wear. He black skinny jeans hugged her hips tightly and her loosely hanging oversized white t-shirt screamed 'tomboy' to all that were able to marvel at her beauty. Sure, she wasn't dolled up like Selena Gomez or Kim Kardashian, but she was just as beautiful, if not more so, than those posers any day.

Liam keeps telling me that I should confess my feelings to her. He tells me that she thinks the same way for me. But I'm not sure. She seems so… indifferent? Yes, that's the word. She's always hanging out with me and the guys I'm not sure if she'd ever see me as more than a friend. What's more, if I ever tried to take it to the next level, it could ruin our friendship and subsequently tear the rest of the group apart. And I couldn't do that. Not to her, not to the guys. They were like a second family to me. As the old saying goes, friends are the family that you choose for yourself. I didn't want to ruin this family. Perhaps I was too selfish.  
But then… maybe I should confess? I really do like her, and I trust her enough not to hate me if things don't work out all that well down the track. I'm just not sure how I'd live with it. Knowing that I'd been rejected by such a sweet, perfect girl as herself. Feelings are so confusing!

 **Reann POV**

As the sun began to set on this warm day, we all decided it was time to head inside and up to Louis' room. We'd all decided to throw a sleepover party as a spur of the moment thing an hour before. Being the only girl, my parents were a little wary at first, but they knew the boys well enough to know that none of them would try anything on me. So my mum came over and dropped off my duffle bag with a set of pyjamas, just some long pants that went to my ankles and a tank top, as well as my slippers. Since I was practically family with the Tomlinsons, I got first shower.  
I came out all wet and red in the face from the hot water. Man, it was good to be under a shower head after a day of stickiness outside running around like a maniac.

I was about to step out and grab my towel when I heard the door open. I let out a very high-pitched girly squeal and hid myself behind the shower curtain.  
"Oh my God, sorry!" I heard a familiar voice. I blushed harder. No. friggin. way.  
"Uh, is that you, Harry?" I asked sheepishly. I saw his silhouette nod.  
"Uh, yeah… I'm really sorry Reann, but Liam told me it was free…" he trailed off, and before I could respond and tell him it was fine, he was gone.

 **Harry POV**

Oh my God. How could I have been so stupid? I must have heard the shower running, but my mind might have blocked it out. I should have known Liam would do something as bad as that just to get me to confess my feelings to her. But now there was no chance! Reann probably thought I was some kind of perverted peeping Tom for all I knew. Liam had definitely made things worse! And now I'm almost too embarrassed to speak to her. How could I look at her again? Sure, I hadn't seen anything but that was a total breach of privacy, walking in on her like that. I feel like such an idiot!

 **Reann POV**

After I had gotten dressed I made my way down to the living room, where the guys had told me they would set up the Wii for a Pokemon match. Yes, I play Pokemon with the guys. You wouldn't be a proper tomboy without having played Pokemon at least once in your life, and seeing as the guys liked it we played it quite often. The atmosphere in the room was interesting. It was extremely quiet, and the boys from One Direction kept looking at me expectantly. All except for one. Harry Styles had not graced the room with his presence yet. The quiet became too much. Finally I snapped.  
"What?" I growled at Liam. He laughed at me.

"Know where Harry is?" he asked me. I shrugged.  
"No, I suppose he's probably a little embarrassed…" I trailed off, glancing at Liam's smirking face. "You… you did that on purpose!" I yelled at him.  
"Did what?" he asked innocently.  
"You told Harry the bathroom was free so he walked in on me!" I continued yelling. Liam laughed really loudly.  
"Well, someone's got to try and set the two of you up." And as he said these words, a blushing Harry entered the room. "See, Harry really likes you Reann, and every smart person in the room," he motioned to everyone but Harry, "…knows that you, Reann, like him back." I blushed wildly.  
"Is that true?" Harry asked me from the corner. I turned to him and gave a curt nod.  
"Yes, that's right. So… you like me?" I asked him. He nodded, unable to form words. I giggled and rushed over to him.

"So, you're saying all this time that _I_ thought _you_ thought _I_ was an idiot _you_ were actually in love with _me_?" I asked. He shrugged.  
"Uh… yeah." I gave him a quick kiss on the lips.  
"Then it's settled then, we can go out. I mean, if that's alright with you?" I half told half asked. He nodded and gave me his trademark grin.  
"Of course." I pulled me into a hug and planted a soft kiss on my lips. I heard a few wolf-whistles from behind me but I waved them off.  
"About time!" Louis yelled from behind me. I gave him the finger and a few of the boys gave fake gasps. After we ended the kiss, I looked lovingly into Harry's emerald eyes. I walked over to the couch, grabbed a pillow and threw it at him.  
"Come on, then. Time to play video games!" I yelled, running over to the coffee table to grab a handful of starbursts. This called for a celebration. A congratulatory sugar rush that the boys were sure to regret in about one hour's time when they needed their beauty sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

I don't want a lot for Christmas  
There's just one thing I need  
I don't care about the presents  
Underneath the Christmas tree  
I just want you for my own  
More than you could ever know  
Make my wish come true  
All I want for Christmas is you

I sung the words clearly and crisply, letting my voice resound down the snow-covered streets as I strummed chords on my guitar. I was a lone singer, singing and performing on my own, as people walked past the frosted windows of shops happily. It was Christmas again, and I was doing what I do best. Singing for charity. Every Christmas, I went out to the streets and busked, the stray coins that landed in my plain guitar case going straight to the Salvation Army appeal. I wasn't rich, but there were plenty of people worse off than me that needed a little help. Especially at this time of year. Usually I was shy, but this was the one thing that I braved my shyness to do. Spreading a little joy at Christmas through singing and helping out those in need. I tossed my long brown hair over my shoulder with a flick as I went on to the first verse.

I don't want a lot for Christmas  
There's just one thing I need  
I don't care about the presents  
Underneath the Christmas tree  
I don't need to hang my stocking  
There upon the fireplace  
Santa Claus won't make me happy  
With a toy on Christmas day  
I just want you for my own  
More than you could ever know  
Make my wish come true  
All I want for Christmas is you

I went into a short instrumental where I played just the chorus part of the song as chords on my guitar. I looked up to see a growing audience. I smiled and blushed a little, nodding my head as a few younger kids threw spare bits of change in the case. I felt a little exposed. All I had with me was my small wooden stool, my music stand and my guitar. And here there were at least twenty people watching me intently. I guess if I ever wanted to become a proper musician, I would always be affected by a little stage fright and nerves. But I didn't think I'd ever make it. There's no room in the record industry for an average looking girl with a shy disposition. I've heard you need to be loud and outgoing to create a decent following… that type of thing won't happen for someone like me.

As I searched the crowd for a familiar face, I noticed a group of boys, only a little older than myself. There were five of them in total. There was a shorter boy with straight, blonde hair and grey-blue eyes, a pale boy with straight brown hair and brown eyes, a more tanned boy with darker, shorter hair and darker eyes, and a boy with mousey brown hair with greeny-blue eyes. Finally, there was a rather tall boy with a mop of wild curly hair and entrancing emerald green eyes. He had a very cute face and when he smiled his dimples were quite pronounced. I watched the group, entranced by the wild-haired boy. When I caught his eye I looked down quickly. I know them… but from where? I continued strumming, almost missing my entry entirely.

I won't ask for much this Christmas  
I don't even wish for snow  
I'm just gonna keep on waiting  
Underneath the mistletoe  
I won't make a list and send it  
To the North Pole or Saint Nick  
I won't even stay awake to  
Hear those magic reindeers click  
'Cause I just want you here tonight  
Holding on to me so tight  
What more can I do  
Baby all I want for Christmas is you

Again, I broke off singing for an instrumental break. I noticed most of the listeners had moved on, more engrossed in their shopping escapade than my music. But there they were, the five boys standing still as statues across the icy square. It was terribly cold out; I wondered if they were cold just standing there. I noticed that when they breathed little clouds of breath formed as warm air met the cold. The curly-haired boy was still staring at me. Wait… I know his name. He's Harry Styles, from One Direction. And surely enough when I looked up again I confirmed this thought. Indeed he was Harry Styles from One Direction, and the others were the rest of One Direction.

Ooh baby  
All the lights are shining  
So brightly everywhere  
And the sound of children's  
Laughter fills the air  
And everyone is singing  
I hear those sleigh bells ringing  
Santa won't you bring me the one I really need  
Won't you please bring my baby to me…

I was approaching the end of the song. I began mentally preparing myself in case they decided to walk over and comment on my singing and guitar playing. I sure hoped they liked it. Especially Harry.  
Well, if you must know I've had a crush on Harry Styles since the beginning of X Factor last year. All my friends kept teasing me about it, instead liking Liam and Zayn better, but I really liked Harry. He seemed so sweet, so kind-hearted to everyone that was on the X Factor. Including, to my surprise, Simon Cowell. He just seemed so down to earth. So kind, so normal. He was so cute with his wild hair. He always looked happy. Always smiling and showing off those cute dimples. He was what I imagined to be the perfect guy. Kind-hearted, nice, talented, and above all else happy. Joyful. I don't believe there's a single mean or nasty bone in that boy's body.

Oh I don't want a lot for Christmas  
This is all I'm asking for  
I just want to see my baby  
Standing right outside my door  
Oh I just want you for my own  
More than you could ever know  
Make my wish come true  
Baby all I want for Christmas is you

All I want for Christmas is you

I smiled as I finished the last chord. I received a well-earned round of applause so I stood up and bowed. The boys edged closer and closer to me. But before they could even speak to me, an old lady came up to congratulate me.  
"You have a lovely voice, young lady," she said in an old, crackly voice. "What will you be spending all that money on?" I laughed sweetly at her.  
"Oh no, I'm not spending any of this," I told her with a gentle smile, "this money's going to the Salvation Army Christmas Appeal. There are people who need it more than I do." She smiled warmly at me.  
"Such a kind-hearted girl." I shook my head.  
"I only wish to spread joy at Christmas." She patted my hand and placed a $20 note in it.  
"I suppose you could at least take some money for yourself." I shook my head.  
"No, ma'am. I couldn't do that. But if you don't mind, I will put this towards the appeal." She nodded.  
"Not at all."  
"Thanks so much. And please, go get yourself inside and warm yourself up," I responded with a wave.

After she had left I was met by five smiling faces.  
"You're voice is really pretty," Harry muttered, shuffling back and forth nervously on his heels.  
'Thanks, it means so much coming from you," I responded with a smile. I picked up my guitar case, counted the money, stuck it in my scarf and wrapped it up. I put my guitar away and Harry helped me with the stand.  
"You didn't have to do that, Harry Styles." I chastised him, taking the stand off him.  
"Hey, you know One Direction then?" Louis asked me. I nodded.  
"Indeed I do, Louis Tomlinson." He grinned from ear to ear.

"Well then, I guess you could take this." I placed a CD in my hand. "That is, if you don't already have it." I shook my head.  
"No, I haven't been able to afford it. Thanks so much!" I replied with a smile.  
"But with a voice like that, I'm sure you'd be able to make a lot of money!" Zayn told me. I shook my head.  
"No. I don't like that sort of thing. I'm happier just giving money away." Harry nodded, taking my guitar case off me.  
"What's your name?" he asked sheepishly. I blinked.  
"My name's Joy."  
"Well Joy, care to let me walk you home." I blushed.  
"Um, well that's not entirely necessary…" I trailed off. He was giving me puppy-dog eyes. "Well OK."

Harry waved goodbye to all the other boys, and I led the way down the snow-covered path. We walked a few minutes in complete silence.  
"You have a beautiful voice, Joy." He told me with a blush. I blushed and hid myself in my jumper.  
"You already said that, Harry." I told him pointedly. He laughed nervously.  
"Well, I mean it. You're so sweet and such a nice girl. I was wondering if… you know… we could meet up together sometime and do something?" I turned to him, a wide grin spread on my face.  
"Of course."

We'd finally reached my front door. I stopped and took my guitar case off of him.  
"Thanks for carrying my guitar Harry." He nodded in response. He looked at me with those amazing emerald green eyes. My hazel eyes flashed in happiness. He leant forward and planted a soft kiss on my lips, and just as he did so it began snowing lightly.  
"How about you come inside?" He grinned and followed me into the hall, leaving his wet boots in the hallway. When it stopped snowing he got up to leave, but before he did he gave me another kiss, handing me a phone number.  
"I'll see you soon?" he asked. I nodded.  
"Take care of yourself, Harry." And with that, he was off and into the snow-covered streets. But that wasn't the last I saw of Harry Styles.


	15. Chapter 15

Who the hell have I been kidding,  
I sold my soul to the corporation  
And only got it known myself  
I better shut it up, I better shut it up

I growled as I tagged the wall in front of me. It was dark enough for people not to notice me from a distance, but it wasn't too dark that I would be late home. My parents were overly religious. I wasn't allowed outdoors often, so this was a piece of freedom that I relished. I should probably be in church right about now…  
Not that I did anything that normal fifteen year olds would do. I don't like shopping too much, instead choosing to spend my time creating 'art' all over the walls of the city. This was London, and it was free-range for a young graffiti artist like myself to do as I wished. Hardly anyone cared about the words written on the walls of the train station, vending machines, parked cars that hadn't been used for years, abandoned by their owners. As long as I didn't get caught.

My name's Hope, some stupid name my parents called me because of their biblical readings. I'm not too religious myself, I don't really see the point of it in today's society. I mean, all you see in the news is one religion against another in war. If Islam and Christianity alike pride themselves in peace, then why do we have the Afghan War, Al Qaeda and the likes? Confusing, yes, but it's got you thinking. It came to my attention a while back that some religions just don't practice what they preach.

You got a problem with the way I think?  
I got a problem with the way you think  
That you can program me like a damn machine  
I'm gonna stand and say fuck this scene

I jumped as I heard the screech of a siren.  
"Damn." I quickly stuck the can of spray paint back into my Spongebob Squarepants bag. I had left a massive purple gash in the wall, lines of yellow and green following along it. I looked back and forth down the small alley that weaved its way down the side of the train station. There was no one coming, the only inhabitants of the walkway besides myself being drug addicts, smokers and homeless people. No, this wasn't exactly the place my parents would expect a girl my age to be.

I jumped the turnstile and made my way over to the platform. The sun had almost set, and I knew I'd be in a whole lot of trouble the minute I entered the front door back home. I guess I could always argue there wasn't that much for me to come back to. We weren't exactly rich, and the little money left over after the bills were being paid went straight to the church. This I also didn't understand. My parents always assured me that the money they donated would help us get into heaven.  
"They can believe what they want to believe, but we're still practically on the poverty line," I whispered to myself. I didn't have a ticket. The dirty, dusty old train pulled into the station and I clambered on, watching my step as I did so. It was inevitable that I'd be late by now, so I took my time.

I'm sick of imagery instead of artistry  
Think of apathy instead of harmony  
I'm sick of poet's working part time jobs  
While pissy people pick and choose the stars  
I know that I should be…

I swung my bag onto a seat of the mostly unoccupied train. I grabbed out a piece of bread and munched my way around the edges, eating the crust first. I had a feeling I wouldn't be eating any dinner tonight…  
"Hi," a boy's voice said. I turned to look at my new train buddy.  
"Hi," I responded with a nod. I may not look it, but I'm a little shy around people I just meet. The boy sitting next to me looked very upper class. He had the most amazing emerald green eyes that flashed as the overhead light flickered on and off. He had crazy curly hair that framed his face perfectly. He could have been famous, but I don't care much for that type of thing.

"I'm Harry Styles, nice to meet you." He said holding out a hand.  
"Hope. Same here." We shook hands.  
"Where are you off to?" he asked. I shrugged.  
"Well, I'm probably dead by now so wherever." It was only a simple thought, but it was a thought I assumed was coming for several weeks now. My parents needed to be sent the message that I didn't care for their pointless rules. Being one hour late didn't matter too much, did it? Especially in such good company.  
"I like your bag," he told me, pointing at it. I shrugged. It was no longer bright yellow, instead worn at the edges from overuse. It was my school bag most days, when I actually bothered going.  
"Sure."

The last one to speak about this but even Sell Outs have their dreams  
Set the music free

Oh what the hell was I trying to prove  
I ran away so young now on the move  
Like a vandal I wear a mask  
And all you punks back home you can kiss my ass cause I gotta feel it

Even after my stop passed I continued riding the train, keeping Harry company. We talked very little, he instead busy texting people on his extremely modern looking phone. He had an iPod stuck in one ear, and he was leaning against the window. I didn't know where I was going. But I didn't care.  
There were only a few thoughts running through my head, and most of them involved running away from it all. No, not suicide or anything as drastic. Just a trip somewhere I hadn't been before, away from it all.

"So Hope, do you know the boyband One Direction?" Harry asked me. I shrugged.  
"Do I look rich? Stuff like that is for rich kids." He looked me up and down. There was no way I could look rich compared to him. Caucasian skin was something hard to find in the middle of London. I was wearing my worn black denim jeans and my favourite 'Come to the Darkside, we have Cookies' purple shirt, it also worn from continual use.  
"Well, want to have a listen?" he asked. I nodded, shrugging as I did so. I listened a little to the beat. It was good, the vocals were really amazing. It was perhaps too happy-sounding for my liking, but it was good.

Deep down in my soul, it's taken three whole years  
To gain control and I ain't never no never no never no  
Never no never no never coming home…

"Yeah, they're pretty good." I told him after the song ended. He gave me a warm smile. "Anyway, why are you listening to boybands? Are you gay or something? Not that that's a problem, of course…" He shook his head.  
"No. Actually, if you want me to tell you the truth, I'm a member of that band." I looked at him incredulously.  
"Yeah, and I'm Jesus." He laughed at me.  
"You're an interesting person, mind if we go out some time?" he asked. My green eyes met his.  
"Woah, you're actually being serious…" I trailed off. He nodded, planting a kiss on my forehead.  
"Yep." He got up and left me, making his way to the doorway. The train stopped and in seconds he was gone, vanished in the murky fog that started to cascade down around the platform.  
"Harry Styles," I muttered to myself. The train was empty now, all that was left was me and the overhead lights that really needed to be replaced. I memorized his stop. Only seven from mine. There was no way I was letting this be the last time I saw Harry Styles…


	16. Chapter 16

**Harry Styles POV**

"Please welcome the boys from One Direction. They're going to be our guest judges for today's Battle of the Bands competition." There was a round of applause and a few screams from fan girls in the crowd. The guys and I walked out onto the stage and took our seats at the edge.  
Being famous has its perks. For example, today. We were invited to be guest judges for Yorkshire's annual Battle of the Bands competition. Although this was a mainly underground battle, as a mainstream boy band we'd got enough of a fan base to give us an opportunity like this.  
"Well, our next band is called 'The Charts'. They're going to do a cover of the Australian Indies band Snakadaktal's 'Air'. Please welcome them to the stage." The MC announced. The guys and me clapped enthusiastically. It was great to see some young musicians our age trying to make it into the record industry.

I was completely bewildered the minute the main singer of the group stepped onto stage. She was gorgeous, with stunning silver-grey eyes and long, praline coloured hair that was held up in a plait running down her back. She was wearing the usual Indies-Punk styled attire; black skinny jeans, boots, and a t-shirt that was at least three sizes too big for her that fell down around her shoulders. She walked over to the mike as the other members of her band, all boys, took their places behind their respected instruments.  
"So, who are you?" I asked. She shrugged.  
"The name's Parker Brennan. This is Jay," she said, motioning to the guitarist, "Nick," she pointed to the bassist this time, "and finally our drummer, Yuko. We've all come from Australia."  
"Cool. Australia? That's so far away. Well, best of luck. So, whenever you're ready!" Liam said with a wave. She nodded, counting the boys in.

 **Parker Brennan POV**

I liked One Direction, that was no lie; but when Jay told me that they were guest judging the competition I almost freaked out entirely. I may love my music but I hate getting things wrong. If I mucked up today in front of the boys from One Direction I would never forgive myself. I respect them as musicians, even though our styles of music are vastly different.  
I love how the boys from One Direction are always so positive. I'm a pessimist. When Yuko told us all about this competition I didn't want to do it at first, for fear of embarrassment. We'd only just moved across from Australia to England to see if we could break it into the music industry over here, but we'd had no luck over the past few weeks. Yuko thought this might be a lucky break. Although I only want to make it, I don't think we can. It's like a far off fantasy; we couldn't get into the record industry over in Australia because it was too small, but even if it's a bigger industry over here that doesn't mean we'll ever make it.

Let me tell you a bit about my love for One Direction. Well, it's only really a love of one specific member. Harry Styles. When we first came over to Yorkshire, they were the first I saw on the television. A young group of boys all out to try and do just what we were trying to do. They were young and so optimistic, and seeing them find a record deal off the show gave me a little hope for my own situation. I love Harry Styles, but only for his enthusiasm and optimism. I wish I had that type of personality; I yearn to be able to see the best of things in a situation, but alas, I never can. I can't even understand love. It's all commercialized, just like Christmas and Easter. People seem to try and make money out of everything. I mean, look at all the chocolates and flower they manage to sell on Valentine's Day, and at Easter, and all those presents that go to people at Christmas whether they like it or not. It's all a stupid, waste of time.  
I sighed to myself, giving the guys the signal. It was now or never. The winner of this competition would get Universal Music to sign them. I had to do my best so we could all chase that dream. Usually I hate being the centre of attention, but with the guys here at least if something went on they could cover for me. I nodded my head and Yuko brought us in with a gentle backbeat. Jay and Nick started with a few chords and I took the microphone into my hand, bringing it to my lips. I sung in my lightest, clearest voice.

"The girl next door said that your walks go too long  
Oh oh, air, oh oh, air  
While she was singing her favourite song  
Oh oh, air, oh oh, air  
Her smile hid behind the camera lense  
Oh oh, air, oh oh, air  
He tried not to laugh but he chuckled like a hen  
Oh oh, air, oh oh, air

And that love that we fatally made  
And the doves that took it away  
And the love that you said it can't stay  
It went away

 **Harry Styles POV**

I gasped. This Parker girl had an amazing voice. I'd never heard of a voice like hers before; she was young, yet she had such a rich tone. She closed her eyes, blocking out the whole audience, so caught up in the song. It sounded amazing. The rest of the band was also quite good.  
It was the perfect song choice for someone like her. Although she had main vocals, she was also lightly playing a few notes on a keyboard that sat before her, her nimble hands gently gliding over the keys. She was beautiful, with a stunning voice to match. The guitarist of the band answered her singing with a gentle voice. The song was purely atmospheric. I wanted to get to know this Parker Brennan. I felt some strange connection to her. That voice; it had some strange, hypnotic quality to it…

Our city of battle trees is curled up to sleep  
We spent all of our money buying roses for the king  
Oh oh, air, oh oh, air  
And the shade may be breaking through your window  
Oh oh, air, oh oh, air  
Don't look for the answer, it's the question you don't know  
Oh oh, air, oh oh, air

And that love that we fatally made  
And the doves that took it away  
And the love that you said it can't stay  
It went away

 **Parker Brennan POV**

I squinted my eyes open just a little, trying to see the smallest of expressions on the boys from One Direction's faces. Harry Styles was staring at me, but I already knew this. I felt his eyes on me throughout the whole song… but why was he staring at me? It couldn't be because we were a good band. I mean, my vocals were nothing compared to theirs. I gave up thinking, deciding it was best to close my eyes once again. If I thought too much about things other than the song, I was sure to stumble on the lyrics. I concentrated as hard as I could. There was no way I was going to embarrass myself now; I was already halfway through the song!

And that love that we fatally made  
And the doves that took it away  
And the love that you said it can't stay  
It went away  
It went away…

It's the question you don't know  
It's the question you don't know  
It's the question you don't know"

 **Harry Styles POV**

Once the competition was over, I left the guys and made my way backstage, looking for Parker. I found her quickly; she was in a room with a piece of A4 paper taped to the door that read her band name, 'The Charts'. I smiled and pushed it open.  
"Hello?" I called out. I received a rush of heads turning. "Hi. Uhm, I was just wishing you luck. I'm sure you'll get through the finals. Also, er… did you guys want to come clubbing with me and the boys tonight?" The bassist and drummer nodded, and the guitarist gave me an enthusiastic grin. The girl, however, Parker, gave no indication of interest.  
"Oh, all right then. If everyone's going. I've never actually been clubbing before." I chuckled.  
"Well then. I guess me and the guys will have you teach you all how to party like a Brit!" She gave me a weak smile.

 **Parker Brennan POV**

What was I supposed to do? With the guys going out with the boys from One Direction, I would be left alone at our apartment, and I wasn't good when it came to looking after myself, because I've got a bad history, one I choose not to mention. I've never gone clubbing. My first experience of clubbing is apparently going to be with One Direction. What was I going to do? What was I going to wear? I grumbled and got changed. Perhaps a little black dress will do? It was slightly gothic in style, resembling the Japanese Visual-Kei movement of which I was a massive fan. I stuck on my black leather boots and applied some very heavy eyeliner before stepping out to the other guys.  
"Ready to go, Parks?" Jay asked. I nodded.  
"Sure. But don't let me do anything stupid." He smirked at me.  
"Nah, Parks. You need to let yourself go… you know, wind down a little." Yuko nodded.  
"I agree with Jay, you're always stressed out. Maybe a little drinking will do you some good." I growled at him. Without them watching me, this could prove to be an interesting night…

-

"Parks, stop! I think you've had enough for now." I leant over the counter and glared at the curly haired boy.  
"Oh, and you didn't want me stop me say… half an hour ago on glass number eight, Harry Styles?" Harry Styles had stayed with me the whole night. I'd refused to dance, but the guys and the rest of One Direction were happily on the dance floor right now. No, I was sitting here, drinking and drinking, and drinking some more. "You know what, now I know why Captain Jack Sparrow likes rum so much…" I mumbled to myself. The boy chuckled.  
"Parks. Give it a rest. Why are you drinking so much anyway." I glared at him. He shook his head and linked arms with me, dragging me out of the bar. I stumbled over my feet a couple of times, before deciding to finally sit down on the cold cement outside the building.

"So what's wrong?" Harry asked me again, taking a spot next to me. I grumbled and glared at him, still not accustomed to the cool of English nights.  
"Well, if you want to really know, I hate love." He looked at me quizzically.  
"What do you mean?" He asked. I shrugged.  
"Love's a whole bunch of bullshit. No one truly means love, its all a fabricated lie. Like, I have feelings for someone, but they won't ever love me…" He glanced at me.  
"Who is this person you have feelings for?" I shook my head.  
"You… but you don't like me, obviously. Love doesn't even exist in this pitiful world." What came next was a shock. Even though I was practically intoxicated and smelled faintly of alcohol, he kissed me, running his tongue over my lips.

"Uh… Harry?"  
"Parker, I know this is hard to believe, and I know you don't believe in love, but… I have feelings for you. Strong feelings. I think I love you. Will you please give me a chance?" My eyes widened. I definitely wasn't thinking straight.  
"Did you just say that, or am I hallucinating?" He grinned.  
"Yes, I said that. No, I don't think you're hallucinating. But come on; let's get you back home. Just tell me the way and I'll stay over the night. I'll also phone the guys." I gave him Jay's number and he left a message on his phone. Harry was so good to me. Perhaps it was love? I still wasn't sure, but things were definitely looking up for me. I felt like I was floating on air; so much lighter than before, yet weary of my experiences.


	17. Chapter 17

Baby everything you say, say  
Shoots me through the chest  
Yeah, every time every time  
Maybe, we can only pray, pray  
I want to digress  
Yeah every time

And I'm gone to  
Pretending this way out, to  
Here we go again  
My dearest to my love  
We write these letters, pump the stereo

 **Ysabelli Tardanucci POV**

"Great, that's looking fresh! Now, a little to the left," I turned my head, following the photographer's orders, watching with my trademark smile as the camera flashed on and off. Once again, I was modeling for a fashion company here in London called Burberry. I do it often, I can't help it.  
"Good, good. Now sit on the stool. Yes, excellent."  
I love fashion, its one of my greatest passions. I was just lucky to be blessed with the face and body for this profession. I may only be seventeen, but I'm quite well-known as a model, mostly for teen's wear for this company. Sometimes you can see me on posters in those big department stores.  
"Right, now a little to the right. Tilt your head, give me a smirk… perfect!"  
Today I was wearing a trench coat over some skinny jeans that brought out my curves. I had on some platform shoes, but that wasn't really getting photographed right now.

"Good, I think that's a wrap with this outfit. Makeup, wardrobe, go get the next outfit sorted out." I was pulled off my stool into another room, where my clothes were removed and a new set were put on. This time, a knitted cardigan with a plain shirt underneath, jeans remaining the same. The cardigan was red, and it brought out my tanned skin. I'm of mixed race. On my mother's side I'm Chinese, but my on my father's I'm Spanish, hence the last name. My cheeks were puffed up by a little blush, and some red lipstick was re-applied to my lips. Eye shadow was rubbed off and a new colour was applied; a fresh red to match the rest of the ensemble. Soon, I was led out of the room again, and back to where the photographer was sitting. But I wasn't alone. There were five other boys here with me. And those five other boys were none other than the boys from One Direction.

Can you turn off the lights and radio?  
(And up the stereo)  
Can you turn off the lights and radio?  
(And up the stereo)  
(I just don't care)  
If you're drop dead gorgeous  
(I just don't care)  
If you drop dead, anyway

 **Ysabelli Tardanucci POV**

"Ah, Bell. You're all changed. Good. We're modeling this with One Direction." I nodded, stepping over to greet the boys. It was an understatement to say that I was a little nervous. I was terrified. I knew I was pretty, but what would the boys think of me? Especially the most attractive one; well, at least in my eyes: Harry Styles. You've probably seen Harry Styles in those teen magazines. He's cute, funny, and sweet, not to mention drop-dead gorgeous! He had the most curly, crazy curls that I'd ever seen in my life; they formed a halo around his perfect face, his curls matching his personality perfectly. He also had the most amazing emerald green eyes I've ever seen in my life. He's fit, tall, and sexy. He'd make a perfect model, as would the others. But they all had amazing voices, and their interests lay elsewhere, to be specific the music industry.

 **Harry Styles POV**

"Hi, I'm John. I'll be your main photographer for today. Thank you all so much for doing a photoshoot for Burberry." I short, beady-eyed man came running out to us, giving us all enthusiastic hand-shakes. He was short, bald, and wore an extremely  
"Not at all," our manager said with a grin. "The boys are new in the business, this helps both parties involved." Liam and Zyan gave a nod.  
"Well, you all look dressed well. I'm glad wardrobe got to you before I did, although, I probably wanted a before and after, just to see your individual styles. Alas, too late!" The man was extravagant, right down to those Gucci sunglasses he continued to wear even though indoors.

Baby, everything you do, do  
Dries my lonely lips  
Yeah, every time every time  
Could you  
Collide with my lies, lies  
Crashing with my stitch  
Yeah every time

And I'm gone to  
Pretending this way out, to  
Here we go again  
My dearest to my love  
We write these letters, pump the stereo

 **Harry Styles POV**

Our short conversation was broke off when a model stepped into the room. She was young, tall, and hot. She had dark, silky hair like a Chinese girl, but her eyes were wide and hazel, though mostly brown with little green flecks in them. Her skin was a mix between light and dark, a tanned colour that was almost a Caucasian shade. I gaped, my mouth dropping. Beautiful. She walked on over to the group, looking expectantly at the photographer.  
"Ah, Bell. You're all changed. Good. We're modeling this with One Direction." Within seconds she was making her way towards us. I hid behind Louis and Zayn, somewhat embarrassed by my reaction to her appearance.

"Hi, the name's Ysabelli Tardanucci, but everyone calls me Bell. It's nice to meet you all, I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun working together!" She smiled the most dazzling of smiles I've ever seen. Liam shook her hand first. I almost scowled at him. Almost. But I composed myself, deciding he was only trying to be friendly.  
"I believe I've seen you in a magazine, Bell. So you're a famous model?" The girl nodded.  
"I guess I am famous," she told him sheepishly, "but I'm not as famous as you guys. You're really amazing singers!" She had cute dimples.  
"So, how old are yer?" Niall asked.  
"Seventeen." Zayn's eyes widened.  
"No way. You look like, older than that!" She laughed at him.  
"Well, that's enough conversation, my models! Time for a few shots! Bell, I want you to sit in the middle, all of the boys surround her." We got into position. "Excellent."

Can you turn off the lights and radio?  
(And up the stereo)  
Can you turn off the lights and radio?  
(And up the stereo)  
(I just don't care)  
If you drop dead gorgeous  
(I just don't care)  
Hope you watch me hit that high!

You know it's all because of you…

 **Ysabelli Tardanucci POV**

The boys from One Direction were friendly enough. Actually, they were exactly the same as how they appeared in the video diaries and on X Factor a few years back. All except for Harry. For some reason, he was being extremely shy and quiet. It confused me. Normally, he was one of the loudest members, alongside Louis, wasn't he?  
"OK, so now, Bell, you sit on the floor, Harry takes the seat. I want the rest of you out of the shot. Bell, sit between Harry's legs. Harry, wrap your arms around her neck." Harry was blushing like crazy. I glanced at him and pulled a funny face.  
"Don't be shy, it's not that hard. Just pretend it's your girlfriend or something!" I smiled brightly at him. He gulped loudly, his arms finally snaking around my neck.

 **Harry Styles POV**

I sat on the stool, completely embarrassed. I loved the Burberry clothing line, but this would be the death of me; sitting with a hot girl between my legs in one of the most provocative poses, my arms wrapped around her shoulders lovingly, her pouting with full, painted lips.  
"Great! You're both doing great!" John the photographer congratulated. I could have sworn my cheeks were a deep red.  
"Just pretend it's your girlfriend or something!" a smiling Bell instructed me. I gaped.  
"I don't have a girlfriend!" I whispered in her ear. She tensed. She seemed very surprised. She was still smiling for the cameras as she brought my heart to a flutter.

"How does a hot guy like you not have a girlfriend?" My eyes widened and I flipped her around, pulling her in for a kiss.  
"Well, do you want to be my girlfriend?" I asked her in a whisper. John was in a frenzy.  
"Yes! Fresh! Amazing! Just what we're after! Keep kissing, you too!" I barely noticed in the corner of the room the rest of the guys giving me incredulous looks.  
"I sure will!" she responded, kissing me back. The cameras were still flashing, the pictures were definitely going into the biggest magazine in London. But I didn't regret it.

(I just don't care)  
Hope you drop dead gorgeous  
(I just don't care)  
Hope you drop dead gorgeous  
(I just don't care)  
Hope you drop dead gorgeous

(I just don't care)  
Hope you die to hear me say  
(I just don't care)  
Hope you die to hear me say  
(I just don't care)  
Hope you die to hear me say  
(I just don't care)  
Hope you die to hear me say

I just don't care  
Hope you drop dead gorgeous


	18. Chapter 18

"Shruti!" I hear Louis yell from downstairs "What Lou?" I call "Come on, we are leaving to go see the boys and leave for tour" "Okay be down in minute." I braid back my curly bangs and leave the rest of my long thick hair down. I run a thin line of eyeliner above my dark brown eyes and add a coat or two of mascara, Louis always said I didn't need much makeup anyway.  
Louis' POV: I get a call from Harry "Ello?" I ask "Aye mate, when are you and your hot friend gonna be here?" Wow, I could hear the smirk in his voice. "Haz, seriously? She's seriously like my sister. Hands. Off." "Yea, I'll try" He says nonchalantly. I sighed this was gonna be a long tour. Shruti skips down the stairs with her normal happy self, wow she really is beautiful. How is Harry gonn resist her? I guess she notices me starring at her "You're not coming on to me are ya Lou?" She laughs "Oh um no?" I studder "Your fly is just down." I say calmly "Lou?" She laughs "Im wear soccer shorts..." She was right she had on short soccer shorts and a fitting Nike shirt. "Oh just come on" I say pulling her to the car.

Shruti's POV: Well.. Um that was weird. Does Lou like me? Well whatever I like Harry. His curls actually make me overwhealmed. I pull out a copy of The Hunger Games but I can't really read in the car. "Lou?" I ask "Yeah?" He replies glancing at me sideways "You don't have a crush on me do you?" His face turnsred "No of course not" Hisvoice cracks on the'not'. "Then whats wrong? Why are you acting so weird lately?"I question "Its.. just.. Harry.. Its freaking Harry" My heart flutters a bit "Wha?" Is all I croak out.

Louis' POV: "He likes you" I tryto explain "How hes never met me?" I sigh"He's Harry, He doesn't need to have to have met you" She gets a slysmile on her face "I GUESS I JUST HAVEN'T MET YOU YET" She burst out in song "That's my girl" I sayrubbing her hair. she falls asleep before we get there.

Harry's POV: I can hardly wait i'm about to explode until I see Louis' car pull up. The lads and I run out to greet him with "Hey man's" and "Long time no see's". Louis goes around to the other side of the car and carrying out a girl bridal style. Her long thick curly hair flowed down her back but her bangs were braided back just to reveal her perfect tanned skin, she was beautful even in soccer clothes. "Shru, Shru, wake up babe" Louis cooed, her beautiful eyes flutter open reveal to big brown chocolate orbs.

Shruti's POV: My eyes widen a bit as I see 4 really hot guys standing by me and then Louis craddling me in his arms like a baby "Lou? Can you put me down?" The other four guys laugh as he puts me down "Hey Im Za-" I stop the darker skinned one from talking "Dude I know, Zayn, Niall, Harry and Liam" I say smiling, we stand in an akward silence for a bit "Hey um Harry? Can I shower or something" A smirk grows in his face, but it doesn't faze me "Yeah, lemme just show you-" "No." Louis interjects "You will not show her anything, Liam go help Shruti figure out the shower."

Liam's POV: I smile being the 'innocent one' pays off, I hold out my arm for her to take and she gladly takes it. I hear Harry whisper "Wow she has a nicer bum than Louis" I flicker my eyestoward her to see if she heard it, sure enough she did. She held her middle finger up over heard head and said "Can it curly" I heard stiffled laughter and Niall yelling "Burrrrrnn!"

Shurti's POV: I really like Harry but I will not be just an object, after Liam shows me how to use the shower I hop in to the shower. I quickly change into a tank top and yoga shorts. I let my curls hang loose over my shoulders putting on light makeup. As soon as I open the door i'm greeted by a half naked Harry "What?" I ask "Nothing" He replies "Where's the boys?" I ask annoyed "Out?" He sounds annoyed too.

Harry's POV: "Move" She says sharply "Nooooo" I say dragging out the 'oh' "Why" She croaks, I place my lips right on hers, surprisingly she kisses right back. I wrap my arms around her waist and she puts hers around my neck deepening the kiss. Right as I lower my hands to her bum I hear a loud "Ahem" I jump a bit dropping Shruti on the group after I help her up I figured out the voice was Louis.

Shruti's POV: "WHAT THE HECK MAN" Louis yells "Lou" I whisper trying to calm him down "Shut up Shru, I-I-I bring you here and find you snogging my best mate" "Why are you yelling at me Lou?" I ask calmly even thought it was killing me inside. "BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, NOT HIM. I ALWAYS HAVE. NOT HIM. WHY DON'T YOU SEE!" Louis shouts "Louis?" I whisper with tears streaming down my face "Out" He mumbles "What?" I whiser hoping he didn't say what I think he said "GET OUT" He screams, I don't even get my stuff I just take off, luckily i'm fast from soccer.

Harry's POV: "DUDE, What was that. You yell at her, then confess your undying love for her, then kick her out?" "Im sorry" He mumbles "I dont care, tell Shru that" He gets up and walk out

Louis' POV: I find her sobbing on our stoop "Shru, i'm sorry. I just didn't want you to get hurt by Haz." She slightly smiles "It's okay" "Ill send Harry out here" I say softly all she does is nod.

Shruti's POV: Harry comes out and wraps his arm around my shoulders "I think you're beautiful, I promise I won't ever hurt you. If you just gimme a chance I know I can be the best boyfriend ever. I swear, I just know how much Louis cares abo-" I shut him up with a kiss "That was nice way of telling me to shut up" He mumbles into my lips.


	19. Chapter 19

"Christina, hurry up, would you?!" my best friend, Sydney, shouted from my living room, we were invited to a New Years Eve party by Harry and we were so hyped up about it.  
"Hold the fuck on, gawd!" I replied, adopting my very bad American accent that we mess with.  
"Girl, it's like y'all want us to be over the time limit for fashionably late, move your ass woman!" Sydney said, barging in to my room without knocking, still speaking like an American.  
"I'm dressed, I'm ready, let us roll" I said, before skipping down the stairs and almost landing flat on my face,  
"Note to self: don't skip downstairs, especially not with high heels on" I mumbled as Sydney walked past laughing her blonde head off.

We arrived at Harry's house, it wasn't hard to miss because the lights were blasting from every window and you could hear the music from two streets away, blaring out Kesha, me and Sydney were bopping along to it, laughing, giggling when we heard deep laughter from behind, we both spun around to see three boys and one girl.  
"Having fun ladies?" one asked and I recognised the voice straight away.  
It was Harry, the person who had invited us here, and my crush of two years, he was in the band with my brother Liam and I'm eternally grateful to Simon Cowell for putting them all in One Direction together.  
"Harrryyy!" I cheered, pouncing on him and he swung me around in a hug, laughing. "Damn, you got sexy" I laughed, fluffing up his hair and planting my feet on the ground.  
"I believe that I was always this sexy, thank you very much" he said, poking my ribs and make me giggle like no tomorrow.  
"Hmm, I do believe you're right but you better not tickle me again or you will have a very severe case of ugly, my friend"  
"You mean, _sexy_ friend" he said, winking over dramatically at me as he took my hand and skipped up the drive of his house, where he should've already been…  
"This is your house, and you're not at the party?" I asked, tripping up again.  
"Careful there, bub. I only went round the corner to get Niall, Louis and El, don't worry your pretty little head, your brother and Zayn happen to be keeping charge inside…"  
Harry's words trailed off as he opened his front door and was immediately greeted by a crash of glass, and a drunken "Hazzaaaaaa!" by some kid who looked liked he belonged behind a McDonalds till.  
"Fuck! That was my mum's best vase, what am I going to do? Shit, crap" Harry started panicking, jumping in little circles in the doorway and I couldn't help but laugh. "Yes? If this was _y_ our mums vase, you'd be throwing one of your famous bitch fits, so boo ya" he laughed charging at me, picking me up over his shoulder and spinning in circles way too fast for my liking.  
"PUT. ME. DOWN" I screamed, smacking him on the back and having no effect. "You're going to be seeing my lunch in a minute if you don't PUT ME DOWN" and with the last word I effectively kneed him in the stomach and he dropped me on the floor- literally, I fell flat on my butt.  
He was wheezing but still laughing and trying to speak but was failing miserably.  
"Let's… go get… d-drinks" he stuttered, pulling me up and dragging me off to a table stashed in the corner, full of bottles and cans, he handed me a WKD and had a Bud for himself, we clinked them together, smiled and he said "hope you enjoy yourself babe".

Three hours later; he was pretty out of it and we were doing the dougie in his living room, constantly tripping up each other, spinning, jumping and falling everywhere.  
 _All in all, a very good party, I'd say._  
I felt an arm around my waist as a slow song started, I turned round to find it was Harry, smiling at me and flaunting all his perfection for the entire world to stare at.  
"Hey" he whispered, leaning his forehead against mine, swaying to the beat of Katy Perry.  
"Hey" I replied, smiling and giving him a quick peck on the cheek before trying to remove myself from his grasp, as much as I loved him, and _liked_ him in that way, I knew there were plenty of other, prettier girls who wanted to dance with this boy.  
"No, stay with me, please?" he whispered right in my ear, his voice sending shivers right through me, his hand moved a bit lower down my waist and I clasped mine around his neck, softly stroking his curls.  
"You bet."  
We swayed some more, I was leaning my head against his shoulder and I repeatedly felt his lips press against my hair, kissing me softly.  
I looked up, straight in to his ever changing coloured eyes and I saw a spark in them, I leant forward and waited for him to shake his head or move away from me.  
He didn't.  
I moved in the rest of the way and pressed my lips gently to his, staying there for a second, making it last for as long as I could.  
I moved back and opened my eyes to see him smiling like a moron at me, I couldn't help but smile back, his happiness was contagious.  
My smiled was crushed as his lips connected with mine once again, but this one was _different,_ he was rougher and more passionate and I just couldn't resist.  
Being the brave one, I let my tongue trace his bottom lip gently and he let me through, and his tongue joined in to.  
The song finished and we broke apart, gasping, both of us red face, we looked at one another and then Harry broke in to another grin and tugged me out of the room and up the stairs to his room.

He locked his door, grabbed my shoulders and gently pushed me against the door, he cupped my face in his hands, leant in and whispered "I've waited all night to kiss you, and two years to do this."  
And with that he kissed me again, one hand sliding over my body and landing on my waist, pulling me to him, wanting to get as close as he can and then wanting to be closer still.  
My hands snaked up to his shoulders, I tugged at his jacket and he removed his arms to shrug it off but never letting his lips leave mine.  
I felt his hand on the skin of my waist, tugging that to indicate what he wanted.  
 _This is really going somewhere…_  
He pulled off my top, leaving me standing there in a skirt and bra, his eyes raked over my body when he finally broke the kiss; his eyes were hungry, wanting me.  
I pointedly looked at him, then his shirt and raised my eyebrows; he laughed and practically tore off his top.  
I pulled him over the his bed, pulling him down on top of me, he started to kiss me again, gliding his hands further down my body until' he reached the hem of my skirt, his hand sliding up it and resting, waiting to see if it was okay, I nodded.  
He bent down and kissed my neck, my shoulder, my cheek, just kissing my body until I stopped him by running my hands over the front of his jeans and grabbed gently.  
"Harry… Are you sure?" I whispered as he unbuckled his belt and slid them off and threw them on the floor.  
"Christina: I love you, I don't care if it's weird or stupid for me to say this but I do. I _love_ you, because of everything you've been through, you're so strong and proud and brave and amazingly beautiful and I'm so stupid for not ever asking you out and I can't believe I've just said all that" he said in one long breathe, all I did was smile and he seemed to like that.  
His hand stroked the top of my underwear gently before going over the top and diving in; I gasped and squirmed at the feeling.  
 _His hands are really cold._  
I placed one hand on his hair and the other in his boxers, feeling him stiffen at my touch.  
We kept a steady rhythm with each other, never looking away from each other's eyes, connecting on a whole other level.  
"Babe… now?" he asked rather shyly as he took out his hand and waited, quivering from my touch still.  
"Please" I smiled, kissing the tip of his nose.  
The rest of our clothes got lost in the heat of the moment; he looked me in the eyes and then thrusted forward once, twice and then continued a steady pace.

An hour later, we lay face to face next to each other just staring and smiling, and it was _nice,_ not uncomfortable, I hadn't felt like this in a long time and I wanted it to last as long as possible.  
"Christina; that was amazing, thank you" he whispered, speaking for the first time in an hour.  
"Thank you too, Harry, what does this mean though…?"  
"It means that I love you, and that you're my girlfriend, deal?" He smiled, squirming closer to me.  
I laughed and replied "Deal." 


	20. Chapter 20

" _It's going to be a great day_ " I thought to myself sarcastically. I just rolled out of bed and opened to door to my house to pick up the newspaper and there they were again, Niall and Rachel. They know it's not true, I know it's not true but it still stinks seeing the girl I have a crush on being rumored to be with one of my best friends on my doorstep. I threw the paper down on the table and Louis could tell I was bothered.  
"Everything ok Hazza?" he asked me.  
"Eh, it's whatever. They're reporting Niall going out with her again. I know I shouldn't let it bother me but it just does," I said pouring myself a bowl of cereal.  
"You know it's not true man, it's just the press blowing things completely out of proportion. Besides, I may know something you don't know," Louis said giving that mischievous and cheeky grin.  
"Louis?" I asked giving him a curious look.  
"Talk to Niall at the studio later, that's all I'm saying," he replied while throwing the newspaper back at my face.  
I ate my breakfast, updated my twitter with today's session recording and proceeded to get dressed to head over to the studio with the boys. Zayn came up with this great idea for a new song and we want to record it as fast as possible so that's our objective for today. Louis and I left our house and headed off through the streets of London to the studio.  
We walked in and all the guys were was talking to one of the managers whileLiam and Niall sat on the couch talking amongst themselves. They saw Louis and I walk in and Niall stood up from the couch.  
"Walk with me Harry," Niall said jokingly while wrapping an arm around my neck and leading me towards the lot out back.  
"Niall, I'm not mad at you, you know that right?" I asked just to make sure.  
"Of course Harry. I just felt like talking to you about it now. Rachel and I are just really good friends, you know how great she is. She gets my jokes and I make her laugh all the time, she's a good pal. She's a good pal to all of us. Since we're such good friends we do a lot of talking," Niall said while unwrapping a candy bar. This boy is always eating something!  
"Niall, I'm not going to get mad at you for talking to our friend," I answered.  
"Ok, let me finish mate. We do a lot of talking, a lot of talking about you. She likes you mate, she really likes you," he said smiling and reassuringly gripping my shoulders. "I knew you would want to know because we know you like her too," he said and I could feel the heat rush to my cheeks.  
I didn't say anything, I just smiled in response. Niall and I went back into the studio and thankfully nothing started yet. "You guys record your parts first, I'll be right back I promise," I said while throwing my blazer back on. I was expecting a bit of protest but all of the guys encouragingly smiled and I think they knew why I was leaving and they all approved. Even Uncle Simon gave me an all clear to go.  
I got in my car and raced towards Rachel's house hoping she would still be home. I anxiously knocked on her apartment door with curious looks being given to me from neighbors. I knocked again until her flatmate answered the door.  
"Hey, is Rachel home?" I asked shaking my left leg with nerves.  
"She actually just rode her bike to the park. If you see her can you tell her it's probably going to rain? I'm sure she would rather read her book inside then!" she joked.  
"Yeah, erm thanks," I replied as I headed toward the stairs to go back down. I got in the car again and made my way to the park that was a few blocks down. As I pulled up I could see her sitting there, her dark brown hair draping over her face as she read her book. I got out of the car and made my way over to the bench where she was sitting. She looked up and her melting chocolate eyes connected with mine and a smile spread across her face.  
"Harry! What are you doing here?" she asked marking the spot in her book.  
All of a sudden I got tongue tied. "It's supposed to rain," I said like a bumbling idiot. Giving her a weather forecast when I'm supposed to be telling her I loved her, really smooth Harry. As I said it drops of rain started falling from the sky.  
"Well, I guess you were right! You came all the way here to tell me that?" she asked perplexed.  
"No, no, that's not it. Um, look Rachel, I've been reading the papers and I see all the things about you and Niall-"  
"Oh no Harry please pay no attention to that! Niall and I are just good friends," she said getting up from the bench as the rain came down harder. "Let's go before we get soaked," she said making her way towards my car. Before she could get to far I grabbed her wrist and turned her towards me.  
"I love you RayRay," I said, finally. It felt so good to finally say it instead of just having it gnawing at my mind. She stared back at me dumbfounded with the rain falling on her face. She looked down at the ground before she told me that she loved me too. We both leaned in and I pressed my lips against hers while wrapping my arm around her back. Our wet skin only made the kiss more memorable and we both pulled back and slightly giggled at how perfect everything was. We made our way back to the studio and everyone was glad to see that I had come back with Rachel, and in love.

* * * * *

"Hey Harry! Can you come upstairs for a minute?" I heard Rachel shout. Wondering what it could be I went upstairs and saw her and our 10 year old daughter Ruby sitting on our bed with a large box between them. "She found our box and she wants to know all about us before we had her but I didn't want to do it without you," said Rachel, my wife.  
"Ruby Lynn, you little sneaky girl! I haven't looked in here for a while myself actually, let's have a look!" I said lifting the lid off. Inside were memories and keepsakes of Rachel and I's relationship. Her backstage passes to some of our tours, pictures with me and the boys, the lyrics to a song I wrote for her, she kept everything.  
At the bottom of the box was probably my most favorite thing. There was a very old newspaper cutout with the headline **HARRY'S NEW GIRL** with the picture of us kissing in the park for the first time. And in there was another cutout with the headline **DIRECTIONER I DO'S** with the boys and I in tuxedos and Rachel in her wedding dress.


	21. Chapter 21

" _Stop pulling like that or you'll rip my arm off!_ " Rolling his eyes dramatically, Harry reluctantly followed me up the stairs to my room, where I wanted to show him the new bed I'd just gotten. " _Don't be such a baby_." Winking at him, I dragged him up the last few steps by his hand, before opening the door to my room, revealing a newly bought double-bed. Smiling widely and proudly, I looked at him expectantly. " _And? What do you think? Isn't it amazing?_ "

As Harry frowned and brought his eyebrows closer together, a pensive look graced his gorgeous face; his emerald eyes twitched, as he pursed his full lips. He brought his hand to run through the back of his chocolate curls, before bringing a few fingers to his chin, tapping his index finger on his mouth. " _Hmm.._." he mumbled, looking intently on my bed. " _What?_ " Raising my eyebrows, I crossed my arms in front of my chest. " _I don't know, it's just.._." he started, glancing at me, " _I feel as if something's missing.._." I furrowed my eyes in obscurity. Glancing back at the bed, then at me, Harry raised his eyebrows, a wide smile arising on his face, a set of perfectly white and straight teeth emerging, a dimple gracing each his cheeks. " _I think I got it._ "

All of a sudden, Harry had lifted me up with his strong arms and thrown me over his shoulder. " _Harry_!", I exclaimed in between giggles. " _What are you doing?_ " Without answering, he just carried me over to the bed, flinging me on it when he arrived. My hair fell in my face as I landed in the, thank god, soft cushions, my face red from laughter. Chuckling, Harry lay down beside me, resting his head on his hands behind it. I turned to face him and hitched one leg up to rest on his as our toes started stroking one another. " _It really is a nice bed_." Harry said as he closed his eyes.

Glancing at him, I couldn't hold back a smile; he was everything I could've ever wished for. The way his curls covered his face beautifully, his smile, his laugh, his voice, his body - his everything. In my eyes, he was perfection, even though I was fully aware that he wasn't perfect.  
Sometimes, the thought of him being completely fascinating in every way daunted me in some ways. He was someone I used to dream of and wish, hope and long for; yet someone who I knew could never be mine. But when he approached me in that little café with that smile on his face, his curls bumping up and down with each step, a splotch of hope appeared inside me. And now, 8 months later, we were still together.

I hadn't even noticed I'd brought my hand up to his face and started tracing each of his features, until I heard Harry sigh contentedly. Smiling, I placed a kiss on his face, before I whispered in his ear. " _I love you._ " Glancing at him, his eyes still covered, I saw the little lopsided smile I'd adored so much. " _I love you more._ ", he said, opening one eye and peeking at me with it. Letting my tongue flicker out, I smiled at him and laid back down beside him.  
" _I still can't quite understand what someone like you could love about someone like me…_ ", I mumbled, losing myself in my thoughts again. " _Parker..._ " His voice sounded annoyed as he turned to face me now. " _Hm?_ ", I asked, still glancing at the ceiling. " _Don't be ridiculous._ ", he said. " _You don't have to act like you don't know that you're insanely beautiful._ "

A smile I tried to hold back creeped up on my face, but I shook my head. " _Yeah,_ _ **okay**_ _, Harry._ "  
I felt Harry shuffle beside me, before he suddenly was on top of me, straddling me with his legs. " _You want to know what I love about you?_ " Nodding, I glanced at him, the little twinkle in his greenish-blue eyes making my insides warm up. " _I love your laugh. I love your humour. I love the way you don't always get jokes immediately, but then won't stop laughing when you do_." Grinning, he kept his eyes on me. " _I love how you're always so polite to everyone and rarely curse. I love that you're so incredibly smart. I love it when you look at me._ "

He brought his hand up to my hair, slowly brushing his fingers through it. " _I love the way your brown hair shines in the sunlight._ " Letting his fingers trail to my face, he brushed the palms of them over the side of my face, a tingle streaming through my skin. " _I love how soft your skin is...it's like a little baby's._ " A smile appeared on his face and I blushed. " _I love how amazingly mesmerizing the blue of your eyes is._ " He let his thumb brush over the skin just beneath them. " _I love your little nose_." Flicking his index finger over the tip of it, he winked. " _I love your full, deep red lips. And I love the feeling of having them on mine._ " Leaning forward, he kissed me; passionately, yet short, full of lust, yet lovingly.

" _I love how you always shudder when I kiss your neck._ ", he mumbled, letting his mouth move down my jaw line to my neck. When he reached it, I actually shuddered, just like he said. I felt him smile into my skin as he kissed the soft skin. " _I love the little birthmark you have just above your collar bones._ " He let his tongue flicker out over it for just a second, yet still a sea of Goosebumps arose up on my entire body. " _I love the way all these Goosebumps rise up on your arms whenever I touch you._ " He looked me deeply in the eyes as he started undoing the buttons of my blouse, before gently pulling it off me.  
" _I love your boobs_." He chuckled when he said that, a girlish giggle escaping my lips as well. Bringing his fingers up to brush over the contours of my breasts, he reached one hand behind me to undo the hook of my bra, before shoving it off me. " _I love how you react whenever I do this."_ He leant forward again, before unexpectedly starting to caress my breasts with his mouth, his tongue flickering out over my nipples every now and again.

My breathing got faster, along with my pulse. I felt myself getting excited and Harry as well; his growing bulge firmly pressed against me. " _I love the feeling I get when I touch you_.", he said as he removed his mouth from my breasts and instead let his hands run over them, then down over my stomach. " _I love your little, non-existent belly. Hah_." Chuckling once again, he started placing small kisses on it, before he reached my abdomen. Bringing his hand in between us, he undid the button of my jeans, me pulling his shirt off him, revealing his gorgeously, lightly toned torso.  
" _I love your legs_.", he whispered, as he slowly pulled my pants off me, before throwing them onto the floor. He kissed every inch of my legs, moving up them in an excruciatingly small speed. When he reached my thighs, I arched my back slightly, the feeling of his thumbs looping through the string line of my lace underwear driving me mad. After he pulled it off me, I felt a breeze of air and at the same time freedom hitting my most private area.

Harry's eyes had turned unfamiliarly dark as he undid the buckle of his pants, before getting rid of them, revealing himself in nothing but his boxers; the bulge evident as ever.  
" _I love how you have the most beautiful body in the entire world._ " He let his hands run up my legs and over my thighs, as his mouth started placing small kisses on the inside of them. " _And..._ ", he started as I spread my legs, a sudden need of him overcoming me, the soft touch of him almost unbearable.  
He brought his index finger and thumb to my opening, where he caressed the skin around the one place that craved him so badly. I hissed at his touch, arching my back towards him. He leant forward, his hot breath hitting me as he whispered. " _I love how you taste._ "  
And without another warning, he started kissing my opening, his tongue working its magic on me. I moaned loudly as I dug my fingers in his soft locks.  
His mouth pleasured me in ways only he could, the feeling of having him touch me in my most private area aroused me limitlessly.

Too soon though, his mouth left my opening and found my mouth. He pulled his boxers off as he kissed me passionately, moaned when I caressed his shaft with my hands. Harry positioned himself, supporting his bodyweight with both his arms on either side of my head. Looking at me, he asked for approval; by nodding eagerly, I granted it. He entered me smoothly and gently, yet the feeling of having him inside me made me gasp nonetheless. I cupped his face in my hands and after placing a short, shaky kiss on his lips, I whispered, my breath hitting his face. " _Make love to me_."  
No other word had to be said and Harry started moving his hips, back and forth, sending me into a world of pure pleasure. I moaned his name loudly; the only one that felt right to leave my mouth. He kissed me passionately, then went on to my neck as he kept on hitting all the right spots.  
When I saw him furrow his eyebrows in pure concentration, I knew he was close. Harry brought one of his hands in between us and started rubbing me, until eventually, I reached my high before him. It shook through my entire my body, making me squeal with delight. Digging my fingernails into the skin on his back and purring into his ear was all it needed for him to reach his climax as well. He tensed up completely and as he moaned my name out loudly, he finally spilled inside me.

He kept on moving his hips a few times, when gradually he collapsed on top of me. We were both sweating and breathing heavily, yet a small smile lingered on both our faces. Harry tilted his head up to look at me, " _I guess what I was trying to say was… I love you, Parker_." The sincerity and honesty in his voice made me just want to scream and cry in happiness. Placing a short, yet passionate kiss on his lips, I stroked his sweaty face, pushing a few of his sticky curls out of it. " _I love you too, Harry. More than you'll ever know._ " 


	22. Chapter 22

I couldn't believe it, today was the day. After months of waiting for my best friend Harry to make it back to the US I was on my way to the airport to pick him up. We met when he first came here to America and would be inseparable if it wasn't for that blasted Atlantic Ocean and thousands of miles. He promised to come back in between studio sessions and tours and we finally had a whole week together to do anything we wanted.

I pulled up to the airport that was bustling with people coming and going, unloading cars and loading cars. People running to each other from the terminals out of excitement while some were crying and saying goodbyes. I was not here for my tearful goodbye, sure that would come later, but right now I was here for the joyous hello.

I stood there waiting by the terminal where his flight was coming into. I was a little bit early so I could even see his British Airways plane touch down; we were both on the same continent! I ran back to the arrivals waiting for him to come out. I was not expecting it but when I got back there were fans holding posters and signs like "We Love Harry!" and "Marry Me Harry!" I understand the fandom because I'm one of them too but I just didn't want it to get in the way of my hug. People started emerging from the terminal doors, business people, families, and then I saw the head of curls and knew it was him. He looked up and our eyes met and we both smiled at the same time. The girls screamed but Harry ran straight towards me and picked me up in a spinning hug then kissing me on the cheek.

"Hey love, long time no see!" he exclaimed pulling back to get a good look at me. Nothing had really changed since the last time, I still had the purple streak in the back of my wavy brown hair from the dare he gave me last time he was here. I liked it and it reminded me of him so I've kept it. Being the great person that he is he did go back to the fans and took pictures and signed their posters but then hurriedly returned to me excited about the week ahead. We walked to the car and started the drive back to my apartment.

"I've got something planned for you," he said while throwing a quick glance at me.  
"Oh really! Whatever could it be?" I asked throwing him a flirty look back.  
"Let's just say Louis gave me this new recipe and I'm cooking you dinner tonight. If you don't mind the risk of losing your kitchen, and possibly your apartment," he joked.  
"As long as I don't lose you!" I answered while patting his knee. I continued the drive home making quirky jokes and putting my flirting skills into good use. I really did like Harry as more than a friend but I did not want to jeopardize what we already had together so I kept it to myself. It did not stop making me wonder though if he could possibly feel the same way.

We got back to my apartment and Harry unpacked his things and we went to the supermarket together to pick up his ingredients for the dinner tonight. I could tell the jet-lag was getting to him a little bit but he wanted to start cooking since it was already getting late when we returned.

I sat at the stool by the bar in the kitchen and watched him as he prepared the meal. He was stuffing the chicken with mozzarella and wrapping it in Parma ham and then he threw it in the oven and moved on to peeling potatoes.

"I must say Mr. Styles, coming from a girl who likes to cook you are doing a very good job," I said giving a playful smirk.

"Louis has made this dish a few times so I figured I would give it a go. This is special, homemade mash, nothing out of the box!" he said proudly as he continued peeling the potatoes. He cooked them and started mashing them and adding the milk and butter. We were joking around as the meal kept cooking and I was so glad to have my best friend back. I watch all their interviews and read all the magazines but it is just not the same without him next to me.

Harry checked on his chicken and pulled it out of the oven. "I'm going to get a little inventive, maybe finish it off in the pan to make it crispy, like they do on TV," he said while grabbing the bottle of cooking wine. I looked at him cautiously, reminding him to be careful. He put the chicken breasts in the pan and poured in some wine and next thing you know flashes of yellow and orange were rising from the pan.

"Oh shit Katelynn!" he exclaimed jumping back from the stove. I jumped up from my seat and grabbed the lid to the pan and covered the chicken with it to smother the flames. When the flames died down I lifted the pan to find two burnt chicken breasts with black and crispy ham. I looked back up at Harry and we both started howling.

"Get out of my kitchen!" I joked in between laughs and he left the kitchen and entered the living room crying from laughter. I followed him as we both landed on the couch still looking at each other and giggling.

"You're the chef, I nominate you to cook next time!" he joked putting his arm around me. I could tell by the expression on his face that he thought maybe he went too far but that quite honestly he didn't care. He pulled me in closer and I rested my head on his chest and I could hear his heartbeat get slower and reach its normal pace over time.

"I have to admit now that it's all over, that was pretty funny," I said curled up in his arms. "Maybe you need to go back on that cooking show again?" I asked sarcastically looking up to meet his piercing eyes.  
"I tried! I was just trying to impress you," he said looking back down at me with a blush across his cheeks.  
"Harry Styles felt the need to impress me? What for?" I joked looking back down and wrapping my arms around him. I was comfortable with him, I didn't care.  
"Because I love you," he whispered resting his chin on top of my head.

I pulled back slightly and looked up at him. His eyes showed him pleading for a response. On the outside I was collected but on the inside my mind was racing and my heart was pounding but all for the right reasons.  
"Good, because I love you too," I answered. He leaned down and pressed his lips against mine for the first time. Yes he had to leave in a week to go back to England and the distance would be hard but right now I could not be happier. I wrapped my arms around him again and rested my head back on his chest. He turned the TV over to the FoodNetwork as we started brainstorming the menu for the next kitchen adventure. 


	23. Chapter 23

You sit up in bed. You yawn and rub your eyes. You can see much clearer now. You look around your room at all the photos you have taped on your walls. You look at the wall on the left, closest to your bed. You notice a picture you don't remember taking.

It's a picture of you and your ex-boyfriend, Harry. You're both smiling.

"Hah. That smile," you laugh.

You smile at the Harry's smile. The smile you always loved. You reach for the picture and gently take it off the wall. You pull your arm back and place the picture in your lap, being held by both of your hands. A tear forms and runs down your cheek. You start to think of all the times you and Harry had. There was the trip to the beach, all the times you went to the mall and coffee shop, and when you went to the amusement park.

Something in the picture catches your eye. It was above Harry's right shoulder in the picture. It was a little light. You squint at the light and realize it was a sparkler.

"New Years," you mutter to yourself.

You think back to that day as you continue to stare at the picture.

It was New Year's Eve. You and Harry were driving to your friend, Jayda's house for a New Year's party. You look at the clock in the car. 11:26.

"Don't worry, Babe," Harry said. "The fun won't start until we arrive."

You give a little giggle.

"I have a surprise for you when the clock strikes 12," Harry added.

You look over at him, confused. Harry looks at you and flashes you a cheeky smile. You laugh and shake your head. You know he's not going to tell you what he had planned.

After driving for another 10 minutes, you arrive at Jayda's. Everyone greeted the two of you with hugs and "hello's".

"It's almost time!" Jayda said as she looked at the clock. "Let's start the sparklers at least."

Everyone walked outside into the driveway and the empty street. As soon as you step outside, a gust of wind blows over you. You shiver from the cold and your teeth start to chatter. You feel strong, warm hands run up and down your arms. You turn around to see Harry, his teeth also chattering. You turn around and give Harry a hug, warming both him and yourself. Harry returns the hug, and runs his hands up and down your back.

"Warming up?" he asked.

You look up at him. His teeth had stopped chattering, and he had a smirk on his face. You nod your head. Harry lifted his left hand from your back and looks at his watch.

"Come with me," he said walking off of the porch, into the backyard.

You take a quick glance at everyone in the driveway and street. Most of the people had sparklers and were lighting them. You turn back around and walk towards Harry. You see him waiting for you. You walk over to him and he takes your hand in his.

The two of you walk through the other neighbour's yards.

"Almost there," Harry said.

You continue to walk. After a while, you feel a tiny, cold droplet hit your nose. You wiggle your nose, trying to get the rid of the cold feeling. You turn your head toward the sky and look up to see small snowflakes falling, slowly.

"We're here," Harry said.

You turn your head to face forward. You notice a trampoline with a bag sitting on top of it. Harry leads you toward the trampoline. As you get closer to the edge, Harry lets go of your hand and runs toward the trampoline. He jumps onto the edge and rolls towards the middle. You laugh as you watch him. Harry grabs the bag and opens it. He pulls out a big blanket. He comes over to the edge of the trampoline and holds out his hand to you.

"I can get up by myself," you say.

You turn around so your back is facing the trampoline. You hop onto it and sit on the edge, with your legs over the side. You feel hands wrap around your waist and pull the rest of you onto the trampoline. The pulling stops and you look up to see Harry, smiling. Harry picks up the blanket and wraps it around your shoulders. You feel warmth from the blanket start to un-numb you. He takes a seat next to you and huddles under the blanket with you. You feel more heat come off of Harry's body in the blanket. You scoot closer to Harry. You feel yourself warming up. You look up at Harry. You see him staring back at you with a smirk. You hear a high pitched beep.

"Ok, Cori," Harry said, quickly. "Kiss me until you hear it beep again!"

You're confused. Harry smiles. He leans in closer to your face. His soft lips touch yours. A weird, but good feeling comes over you. You close your eyes and enjoy the feeling. It feels like sparks are flying inside of you, but they don't burn. It's a magical feeling. It reminds you of a romantic movie. You hear the high pitched beep again. You feel Harry's lips pull away from yours. The magical, sparkling feeling starts to die. You smile and slowly open your eye. You see Harry smiling with his eyes still closed. You watch as he opened them, slowly.

"What was that for?" you ask.

Harry looked at his watch. "Well I ended the year kissing a beautiful girl, and I started the year kissing a beautiful girl," he said looking up from his watch.

You hear a boom and see sparks fly overhead. Harry wraps his arms around your waist and lays you back and close to him. You watch the fireworks fill the night sky.

"Happy New Year, Babe," Harry muttered.

You look at him and smile. You notice him looking back at you. "Happy New Year," you whisper.

The fireworks start to die down and you and Harry head back to Jayda's. You take the blanket with you and place it on the table on her porch. Harry walks over into the driveway and you follow. You see a package of sparklers laying down, so you take one.

"Need that lit?"

You turn to see Jayda standing there with a lighter. You nod your head. Jayda lit your sparkler along with one she pulled out of her back pocket. The two of you spun the sparklers in circle until they went out, then you threw them into a bucket full of water and other sparklers. You look around for Harry. You notice him standing under a tree. You walk up behind him and wrap your arms around his waist.

"Can we get a photo of the cutest couple?"

You recognize Jayda's voice. Harry turned around, placed his hands on your shoulders and turned you to face Jayda. He wrapped his left arm around your shoulder.

"Smile," Jayda said.

You smile and see the flash of the camera.

You bury your face into your hands and start to softly, sob. It's been three months since the two of your broke up. You missed him so much. You always want to call him, but you figure he's over you. You pick your head up and wipe away the remaining tears. You look down at the picture. You feel the burning of tears building up again, when your phone rings. You reach to the bedside table on your right and grab your phone.

You bring it towards you to see who it was. It was Harry! You quickly sniffle and answer.

"Hello?"

"Cori?"

You recognize Harry's voice, but it sounds a bit shaky.

"Yes?" you answer.

You hear a deep breath. "Cori, I miss you," Harry starts. "I don't know why I ever broke up with you. There's no one like you. I was just going through the picture on my phone and I spent a good 10 minutes looking at the ones of us. There was one of us on New Year's."

You looked at the photo in your lap. "Hah. I have that photo in my lap right now," you said.

There was a long pause. "Do you mind going to the coffee shop to meet up with me later on?" Harry asked.

You smiled. You smiled so big that your cheeks started to hurt. "I'd love to," you finally answer.

You heard Harry laugh lightly. "Great. Is 2 good for you?"

"Sounds good," you answered, still smiling.

"See you then."

"See ya! Bye, Harry." You hung up the phone and smiled. You looked back down at the picture. You picked it up with your left hand.

 _After all these months, it only took one phone call to make me smile again_ , you thought. _I can't wait to see that smirk again._


	24. Chapter 24

"Okay guys. It's not that hard. You just go down the hill!" I say to the boys of One Direction. A gust of wind races across the mountain. I pull the ski mask over my face to keep myself warm.

"I don't think I can do this." Harry says. I ski myself over to him.

"Don't freak yourself out. This is a green trail and green is the easiest. How about this, I will ski next to you the whole time okay?" Harry nods but I can still see the fear in his eyes.

I reach over and take my gloved hand in his. I give it a tight squeeze and Harry looks at me. I lean over and give him a peck on his cold,frigidlips. I pull away and see a smirk on his lips.

"Okay are you ready?!" I say excitedly to the boys.

"Why did you put us through this? I am going to die!" Niall whines in a puppy dog voice. I chuckle.

"It's okay Niall. Just go and you will be down at the bottom before you know it." Niall nods and takes a deep breath. Then he takes a couple steps and makes his descent down the slope.

"Who's next?" I ask. Louis sighs and slowly scoots towards the beginning of the trail.

"Just letting you know Linda, that the ski lift will give me nightmares." Louis says to me. I laugh. Louis takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, and makes his way after Niall. Liam and Zayn go at the same time and then I turn to Harry.

"Our turn."

He makes his way over to me and I give him a little push to get him started. He starts spazzing out and his tall figure eventually finds itself on the ground. I start laughing and help him up.

"You know if you didn't push me I wouldn't be on the ground. Look everyone is down the trail! Great I see Louis laughing at me!" Harry says. I roll my eyes and help him brush off some of the snow on him. I reach up and give him another peck on his lips.

"Feel better?" I ask. Harry nods and we start our slow descent down the trail. When we reach the bottom I smack Louis to make him stop laughing.

"Oi! What was that for?" Louis asks while rubbing the spot where I smacked him.

"For laughing at Harry! It was his first time." I groan as I realized what I said. Louis and Niall crack up laughing while Zayn and Liam chuckled. Harry rolls his eyes and wraps his arms around my waist.

"Come over here I want to show you something." Harry whispers in my ear. I look at him with a questioning look and we ski away from the rest of the lads.

"Listen. You know how much you mean to me right?"

"Yeah…" I say a little sceptical. The tone of his voice is scaring me. It's sounding like he was ... breaking up with me.

"Well ... how do I say this?"

"Oh My God Harry. Are you breaking up with me?" I ask. Cold tears start to fall from my eyes but they get absorbed by my ski mask.

"What?! Oh God No!" Harry reaches in his jacket pocket and takes out a little red box.

"Is that ...?" I start to say but stop, too shocked to say anything else. Happy tears started to flow from my eyes.

"Linda. I have been in love with you since the moment I laid eyes on you. Two years later lead to us standing here on this beautiful mountain where you basically grew up. I thought, Harry, if you love this girl you better propose to her and that's what I am doing. So, Linda will you marry me?" I tried to speak but nothing came out so I just nodded.

Harry smiles and places his forehead against mine. He opens up the box to reveal abeautifulring that most have cost a fortune.

"I can't accept that Harry! It probably cost so much! I don't deserve that." I say while ushering at the ring. Harry grabs my face and kisses me roughly.

He pulls away and says, "You are my everything, Linda. So, my everything deserves to have something special at least." I just nod. Harry takes my glove off and slips on the ring.

"LOOK SHE SAID YES!" Louis screams. All the boys start cheering and I start to giggle and blush.

Harry smiles and starts softly humming so only I can hear. I smile up at him as we ski back over to where the boys where standing.

"Now can we go out to eat to celebrate?! I'm starving!" Niall says. I roll my eyes.

"Sure, if we just ski over to that little cottage ..."

Harry cuts me off saying, "NO! No more skiing." I roll my eyes and help him take off hisskis.

The rest of the boys were already skiing over to the cottage leaving me and Harry behind.

"You don't know how happy you made me today." Harry says. He reaches over and grabs my hand. His fingers trace over the ring and he smiles.

"I was soafraidyou would say no." He says softly. I stop and turn to him.

"Now why would you ever think that?!"

"I just didn't know if you loved me back." I gasp.

"So, you are telling me that after all the times I have said I love you, or all those nights that we spent together you didn't think I loved you?"

"I knew you loved me but I was justpsychingmyself out. I was just so nervous." I smile and kiss Harry on the lips. I start to pull away but Harry pulls me to him. His tongue starts to make its way into my mouth and I let out a slight moan.

"GUYS COME ON! I'M HUNGRY! Niall screams. I groan and pull away.

"Come on Harry!" I say in a sing song voice. I grab his hand and drag him over to the little cottage.


	25. Chapter 25

"Harry, I'm going to hit you!" Emily wasn't joking as she whips around to face the annoying curly haired boy who is positioned directly behind her, a mischievous smirk on his face and a slight glimmer to his eyes. He throws his hands up innocently, although she knows he's anything but.  
"I didn't do anything!" he says in a sing-song voice as he steps away, still keeping his hands up in defence, but that stupid smirk won't leave his face as Emily narrows her eyes at him. She holds up the knife she's using, still covered in frosting, pointing towards Harry with it.  
"I mean it, Harry. I take this cookie decorating very seriously. Do not break my concentration." With a serious look and a flick of her wrist, launching a bit of frosting at the boy, Emily turns back to her handiwork. Harry just laughs and shakes his head.  
"You're adorable, you know that?" he asks as he hoists himself up on the counter next to the plate of cookies, his legs dangling off it as he kicks them back and forth like a little kid. He reaches over for one of the cookies, but Emily is quick to slap his hand away.  
"Hey hey hey! I'm not done yet!" she argues as he gives her a small pout.  
"Come on, Ems! One cookie?" he asks, his eyes big and extra green as he looks down at her, pleading and begging for her to give into him. Emily rolls her eyes but picks up one (a Christmas tree that didn't come out as good as she wanted it to) and hands it to the over eager boy.  
"Aren't you supposed to be watching your rock-star figure?" she asks as she pats Harry's stomach, keeping her eyes concentrated on the snowman in front of her. "These cookies can't be good for your waistline."  
Harry shoves the cookie in his mouth, his voice muffled as he tries to talk, all while crumbs are making their way down his chin. "Oh come on, my figure is perfect." Emily keeps her gaze down, a slight blush overcoming her because she knows she can't deny it. And of course, Harry catches sight of it. He grins, bumping his foot into Emily's thigh, swallowing the food in his mouth before winking at her. "Go ahead, Em. You can admit it. No need to be embarrassed."  
She glares at him, despite the fact that she's still blushing. "I still have a whole can of frosting that I will have no problem running through those curly locks of yours!" Harry throws his head back laughing at Emily's threat before hopping off the counter. Emily continues to frost away, moving onto a wreath shaped cookie as Harry grabs her laptop off the kitchen table. He brings it back over next to her, opening the Christmas playlist the two of them had created the night before. He scrolls through the list for a second before finally settling on something to listen to. Emily glances over at him, giving him a small smile as her favourite song starts to play.  
"You know, Biebs is our competition," Harry says as he reaches across her to grab a cookie. He picks up a knife off the counter as he starts to frost it. It doesn't look anywhere near as neat and thought out as Emily's, but she secretly finds it adorable.  
"You're lucky I love you enough to listen to him." Emily rolls her eyes as she puts down a finished cookie and picks up another one.  
"Oh, come on. Niall loves him! Can't you be a mature adult like he is?" Harry scoffs as he runs his finger through the frosting on the cookie Emily is diligently working on, and she gasps as he messes up her concentration. But he ignores her protests and whines of frustration.  
"Niall also spends his days off sleeping and playing video games. So let's not pull the maturity card here, babe." Emily wants to argue, but unfortunately, Harry has a really good point. So instead, she starts to sing along to the music.  
For a second, Harry just watches her, admiring the way her lips move slightly with the words, the way she's swaying back and forth, keeping time with the song. He stifles a laugh as he catches sight of some frosting that has somehow made its way into her hair, and the way she's concentrating so hard on her cookie is the cutest thing he's ever seen. Harry grins as he dips his finger into some frosting before sneakily swiping it across Emily's nose, leaving a white streak. Emily gasps as she turns to look at him, her eyes darkening.  
"I don't like you very much right now," she says as she wipes the frosting off and licks it from her finger. But Harry can tell she has revenge on her mind because next, she flings the frosting left on her knife at him, and it hits him square in the forehead.  
"Hey, watch the hair!" he exclaims as he carefully wipes right under his hairline, being careful not to let any get in the curls hanging above his eyebrows. Emily just laughs.  
"You are such a woman," she says as she dabs a bit more frosting on Harry's cheek. He gives her a glare, but she continues to laugh, and Harry can't help but laugh along.  
The two finally settle down as Justin's song ends and the next begins. As the first chords to 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' starts to play, Emily's face lights up and she bounces up and down a few times. Harry glances over at her, completely amused and a bit mesmerized at how excited she is for a simple song. Her smile only grows as she sings the first line.  
But before she can begin the second line, Harry jumps in, singing it instead, right to her, his voice coming out low and quiet. Emily senses what he's doing and turns to look at him, blushing a little as Harry puts down the cookie he's holding. He wipes his hands off on his jeans, making sure to dispose of any frosting that's still stuck to them, before reaching out for Emily.  
"Dance with me?"  
Emily rolls her eyes as she pulls her gaze from Harry's eyes, his intense green stare too much for her to handle without giggling and biting her lip and blushing even more than she already is. But Harry's persistent and takes her hand in his, tugging her towards him.  
"Hey now, when I ask a pretty girl to dance with me, she's supposed to accept," he says. Emily knows she can't resist him, especially with that stupid charm and annoying grin and dumb dimples. She lets him pull her to his body, his arms holding onto her waist as hers reach up to lock around his neck. Emily hesitates for a second, but finally rests her head on his chest, the warmth of his sweater and the quickening pace of his heart calming her own nerves. Even though Harry towers over her, he's the perfect height to let his chin rest on the top of her head. He tightens his grip and it's that moment when he realizes just how perfectly she fits against him, moulds to his body. She's just the right size, her arms barely reaching around his neck, her chest pressed just below his, her head nestled right under his chin, and it fits almost like a puzzle. He can protect her, watch over her; keep her safe by simply holding her in his arms.  
The whole song, Harry hums along, and Emily does, too. Harry doesn't loosen his grip and neither does she, too scared that if she does, the moment will end and standing in the middle of her kitchen, Christmas music playing, cookies baking, dancing with Harry Styles isn't a moment she wants to end anytime soon.  
As the song starts to come to a close, their swaying slows, but neither of them let up grip on each other. Harry's the first to look down at Emily, and she locks eyes with him after not even a second, staring straight up at him, slightly on her tiptoes. Harry releases one of his arms grasp around her waist, lifting his hand to pull some dried frosting out of her hair. They both laugh softly as he holds it up, examining the chunk, before dropping it to the ground. And now, with her on her toes and him slightly crouched to be closer to her, the smell of sugary vanilla on Emily's breath and peppermint from a candy cane Harry had earlier is mingling together in the small space between their lips. Harry's eyes flicker down, landing on Emily's mouth, which is now pulled into a small smile. He then finds himself smiling as he pushes some of her hair off her face, and without even really registering what he's doing, he leans towards her.  
But then the sound of a shrill beep is filling both of their ears and the sudden noise is like a force pushing them away from each other. Harry grabs a hand towel as he runs to the fire alarm, waving it frantically to get the smoke to clear and the sound to stop. Emily rushes to turn off the oven, her hands trembling slightly at the realization of what just almost happened. Once the shrieking stops and the smoke clears, Emily opens the oven and pulls out the now blackened cookies. She groans and throws them down onto the counter, crossing her arms. "Great. They're ruined."  
Harry chuckles softly as he moves towards her, her angry and intense and irritated grimace almost too cute for him to handle. He takes her forearms, uncrossing them and releasing the tension that was coursing through her body. He wraps his arms around her shoulders, pulling her body close to his once again, smoothing his hands up and down her back.  
"Well hey; it just gives us an excuse to do this all over again tomorrow." 


	26. Chapter 26

"Harry get off of the phone!" I whined. He'd been texting someone for over two hours. Now I was never one to be jealous, but all of the attention he was giving his phone was getting to me. "Okay." he mumbled staring at the glowing screen intently. He sat slumped over on the right side of the couch. I rolled my eyes then crawled over to him. His thumbs were almost a blur as he rushed them across the screen. He didn't even look up as I pressed my lips on the cool flesh behind his ear. I slithered my hand down his chest and rested it on his thigh.. Still no reaction. An aggravated huff escaped my lips. Soon I snatched the phone and ran through the flat laughing. "Catherine!" I heard Harry yell. I ran straight into our room and into the closet ignoring Harry's frantic calls. "Cat!" he cooed walking cautiously into the room. I pressed my hand to my mouth to muffle my laughter. Harry walked around the room clueless. I slowly reached my hand up to place his phone on the shelf in the closet. I did that successfully, but on my way back down my hand hit the door, making a loud thud. "Shit!" I mumbled. Suddenly Harry snapped his head toward the closet and walked over. "Ha!" he yelled as he opened it to reveal me standing and laughing. I attempted make a run for it, but he grabbed me by the waist and pulled me back. "I believe you have something that belongs to me…and I would like it back. Or else!" He pronounced with a comical grin on his face. A look of innocence flashed across my face as I giggled. "I don't know what you're talking about." He grabbed my wrists. When he realized I had nothing in my hands, he pushed me on the bed then hovered over me. I raised a eyebrow as he pinned my hands above my head. "Now this can go two ways." He said. "You tell me where the phone is and I give you a kiss, or I tickle you until you tell me." His accent ,oddly, made this situation sexy. "Um…I think…" I mumbled pretending like I was actually thinking. My eyes re-directed to his gorgeous lips. "Tell me." He said. I rolled my eyes.

"You're stupid best friend is on the top shelf in the closet." He just sat there holding my hands above my head. He scrunched his face. "It's not stupid!" I giggled as he let go of my hands. I made an effort to sit up but Harry pushed me back down and laid completely on me. "I believe I owe you a kiss, my dear." He said. Soon his lips were gently pressed to my collarbone. I closed my eyes and took in this moment. I felt his large hands rubbing circles on my sides. He gradually moved his way up my neck, taking little nibbles here and there. He kissed up my jaw then hovered above my lips. "I'm wondering." He started. "If I should kiss or ditch." I giggled.

"You better kiss me." I said poking his side. He leaned in closer to my face. His curls brushing against my forehead and the tips of our noses touching. His phone chimed in the closet and like that he was gone like lightening just to get it. "Hello?" He answered eagerly. He looked at me, mouthed sorry, then walked away. "I guess ditch then." I mumbled. I stood up and walked over to the closet. "I have absolutely nothing to do." I said. I heard Harry walk into the room. He came over and lazily wrapped is arms around my waist. "Look…"He said. I moved out of his arms and walked away. I ,honestly, didn't feel like dealing with him right now. I heard him follow me. "What's up with you?" He asked. I turned to face him. "I've been trying not to let your phone get to me because I never wanted to be that girlfriend that nags her boyfriend about everything, but it's getting to me, Harry!" I said. He slowly stepped closer. "Don't!" I said sternly. "I just wanna breathe for a second."

"Babe…You feel like I'm giving all my attention to my phone?"

"Yes! And you are always gone, which makes this worse. So I never get to see you, and when I do, you don't even pay attention to me." Harry smirked then vigorously pushed me against the wall behind me. He pinned me there by my waist and pressed his lips on mine. He bite my lower lip playfully. His hands roamed my waist. Trailing kisses down my neck, he grasped my left thigh and pulled it up. I felt a wetness on my neck then a suction. The feeling forced a moan out of my mouth. I pushed him lightly. "Stop." I mumbled. "Not until you forgive me." He said placing torrid kisses down my neck and collarbone. My knees started to wobble. "Fine." I giggled. He kissed me lightly on the lips then stepped back. "Now like I was saying earlier…I have to go." I groaned then rolled my eyes. "BUT!" He said grabbing my arm before I could walk away. "You can come with me." I smiled.

"Great."

Sitting in the car waiting for Harry to get back was boring. I looked down and suddenly saw his phone. My eyes bulged. No. I couldn't betray Harry's privacy. I would kill him if he did it to me. It chimed. That only enticed my hunger to see what it was. I slowly picked it up. I slid the screen and saw a message already open…to Linda! Linda is my best-friend. Harry never really fancied her. He told me many times before he doesn't see why we're friends. I never got why though. The message read: _"I know Cat can't find out! How many times do you have to tell me? Gosh, are you here yet? I wanna get this over with. Can't believe we're doing this :)_ " I gasped. I looked up to see Harry walking from around the corner with a big box of something. He opened the trunk and put the box inside. By then I already put his phone right where it was. My heart was beating incredibly fast. He got in and flashed a smile at me. The whole car ride irrational thoughts raced through my mind. Was Harry cheating on me? I mean, he was know for being a player. He just naturally flirts with people. Maybe this time it went too far. I glanced at him. He was rambling about something that happened after a concert. I couldn't take it anymore. "Harry." I said. He stopped mid-sentence and looked at me. "Yeah babe?"

"You don't talk to Linda anymore…do you?" He was silent for a moment.

"No babe. Why?" I could not believe it! He just lied straight to my face.

"No reason." I whispered.

Our anniversary was today. I wondered if Harry knew this. He didn't say anything when we woke up this morning. He's pretty much been gone all day. My heart hurt at the thought of Harry forgetting our anniversary. The thought of Harry cheating on me hurt too. The thought of him cheating on me with _Linda_ made me sick. I pulled out my phone, now overwhelmed with anger. "Linda!" I said when she answered.

"Hey!" She said oblivious to why I was calling, or the anger in my voice.

"Are you and Harry dating or something? Because if you are that's sick. That would be the most hurtful thing you could do to me, Linda."

"Cat, what are you talking about? Harry can't stand me? Why would he _date_ me?" she had a point. I sighed.

"I'm sorry…I just…I don't know. I think Harry's cheating on me."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because I saw a text from this girl named Linda on his phone and-"

"Wait you were on his phone? Cat! That's so bad!"

"I know but…I just was curious."

"You think I'm cheating on you?" Harry asked. I looked up startled. "I gotta go…" I mumbled to Linda then hung up.

"Why would you think that? Why were you on my phone?" He asked.

"Harry…"

"I can't believe you don't trust me!"

"I do!"

"Then why would you check my phone? Why would you even _think_ I was cheating on you? Especially with our anniversary today" He did remember.

"I'm sorry." I said. "I just…I let my stupid jealous girlfriend side get the best of me." He took a deep breathe.

"If you must know, by the way, Linda is my cousin! You've met her before. She was helping me with something for our anniversary." I felt a wave of guilt wash over me. First of all because I didn't remember Linda and second because I actually just accused my boyfriend of cheating on me.

"I'm so sorry." I mumbled apologetically. He smiled.

"It's okay. Now get dressed." He lightened up a bit.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I have a surprise for you."

A blindfold was placed on my face and I was guided somewhere. "You ready?' Harry asked.

"Yes!" I said. I was so excited to see what it was.

"Okay well just wait five minutes, then ten more…then six more."

"Harry…" I whined. I heard him chuckle. He kissed my cheek then pulled the blindfold off. In front of me the backyard was lit with lanterns and there was a mini movie screen in the middle. A white mat was sprawled out and there were candles lit everywhere. ( /image/5a95d0c03822d0... )

"Oh my gosh Harry!" I said. Tears threatened to spill onto my cheeks.

"You likey likey?" He asked. I laughed.

"Yes, very much." He turned to face him. "thank you!" I said hugging him. He had the widest smile on his beautiful face.

"Linda helped." He said smirking. I playfully hit his shoulder. "I love it." I said.

"Good! I love you. Happy anniversary."

"I love you too." I said.

"I have something for you." He said pulling something from his back pocket. It was a light blue box wrapped in a pearl white ribbon. A Tiffany Jewelry box. He opened it to reveal a beautiful ring. My eyes widened. "Harry we can't get married! We're too young!" I said. My heart was beating overtime. We were only 19. He laughed. "No…it's a promise ring. It means that I promise to be yours and only yours until we get married one day. Because I love you that much. And you have to promise the same thing." He smiled and wiped away a tear that rolled down my cheek. "Do you promise?" He asked. He looked worried.

"Yes! Yes, I promise." I yelled. He quickly slipped the ring on my finger and picked me up to hug me.

"Gosh ,I love you so much!" He said in my ear. "but I believe I still owe you something." I looked confused. The kiss! He owed me a kiss from yesterday. "A kiss?' I asked. He leaned his head against mine and gave me a cheeky grin. "Babe, I can give you much more than that."


	27. Chapter 27

It all started with the simple sentence, "What's wrong?" From there it went down hill. Our impeccable relationship went sinking down the drain like we'd never got along in the first place. Harry and I almost never fought. Ever. We bickered, but always ended up laughing it off in the end. This time we didn't laugh it off so easily. It went like this: Harry walked in, slammed the front door, then flopped down on the sofa. I glanced back at him. "Harry?" He half-heartily grunted. I walked over to him and placed my arms around his neck. "What's wrong?" He looked at me then sighed. "Nothing, sugar. Just had a rough day." He muttered starring blankly at the TV. "You wanna talk about it?" I asked. "No.""Are you sure? I'm here if you wanna talk-"  
" I just said 'no'. I don't wanna fucking talk about it."  
He sputtered bitterly. My eyebrows raised and I felt a bit hurt by his cold words. I got up while mumbling, "Whatever. Don't take your bad day out on me.""Whatever, Sara. I don't feel like dealing with your shit right now." And that was it. My breaking point. I turned sharply on my heels. "I'm sorry, my shit? You're the one with the bad attitude. All I'm trying to do is help."  
"Well you're not helping! In fact, nothing would help me more than you leaving me alone. I just wanna be left alone." Tears rested on my cheeks as I grabbed my purse and keys. "Fine. You wanna be alone? How about I leave you permanently alone. Goodbye, Harry." I started for the door. I didn't need to deal with Harry's crap."Now you're walking out?"  
I slammed the door behind me, ignoring Harry. I got in my car and just drove. My vision was so blurry, as was my brain. How did everything go from 0 to 100 in seconds? My phone rang and I looked down to see who it was. A really big part of me longed for it to be Harry, but it wasn't. It was Niall. I ignored it. Didn't feel like being bothered.

I found myself at one of my community parks. I stepped out of my car and into the cold night air. In the midst of everything, I forgot to grab a jacket. It was freezing outside. Silently, I made my way to the monkey bars. The stars shone down and illuminated the dark park a bit for me. I couldn't help but think of Harry as I crossed the damp green grass. He seemed so hurt. I wonder what happened to him today. And like that, my phone rang. I answered it without looking. "Hello.""We need to talk." I heard Harry's voice on the other side of the line."Then talk."  
"I said we need to talk." His voice raised a bit. It was silent.  
"You need to think. You wanted to be alone. Now you're alone. What's the problem now?"  
"I never said that!"  
"Bullshit, Harry!"  
"No! I said I wanted to be left alone. I never said I wanted to be single." I rolled my eyes.  
"So? Same thing.""No, it's not. Come home." Did Harry really think he could control me?  
"No. I don't wanna come home until you apologize for your nasty attitude."  
"My nasty attitude? Apologize?" His accent was strong. His voice was getting heavy.  
"Yeah." I said a tear rolling down my face.  
"Well I guess I won't be seeing you again because I never did anything wrong. There's no need for me to apologize." Biting my lower lip, I ended the call. There was no need for me to hear anymore. Harry didn't want me back. I sniffled then wiped away a tear. Have you ever felt so hurt and humiliated, that you could literally, physically, feel the pain in your chest? It was a hurt so strong you couldn't help but cry until you couldn't breathe. But little did I know that someone else close to me was hurting even worse tonight. My phone rang again. I denied Harry's call. I sat and calmed myself down. Inviting the cold air into my lungs. My phone rang again. This was getting to be so annoying. "What?" I answered.  
"Sara, Did you hear?" It was an Irish accent. It would have been familiar except a slight altercation, sadness. He had obviously been crying. The happiness and playfulness was hollowed from him. "No." I said.  
"L-Liam's sick. He's in the hospital." his voice held such darkened intone, I didn't know what to do.  
"Wh-what?" My eyes widened. My voice was shaking now. "He's got really bad pneumonia. He's real sick."  
"I'm on my way! What hospital?"

Once I made it to the hospital, I rushed straight to the waiting room where Niall and the rest of the boys were…excluding Harry. Zayn was standing and talking to Louis. "Is he gonna be okay?" I asked a teary Niall. "I don't know." I frowned and caressed Niall's back. "Don't worry he'll be fine." I said as convincingly as I could manage. "He told me he was fine. He was just tired. I noticed he looked so pale and drained lately. I heard Harry yelling for help from Liam's dressing room this morning. It was early and it was hard to process what was going on. Liam was on the floor and he wouldn't stop coughing. There was blood…and he was so…pale. I just stood there. I was so shocked. Me best lad was on the ground coughing up blood. He looked so ill. Finally Paul called an ambulance. They wouldn't let us go with him, but Harry insisted he got to go. He has been here since four this morning. We got here around nine tonight and forced Harry to go and get some rest. When I went in to see Liam…he looked so-so…" Niall's fragile body shock underneath me and I held him close. That would explain why Harry was so upset. Why didn't he just tell me. "Niall, babe, don't worry Liam will be fine!" I mutter holding back tears. I had to be strong for Niall, but seeing him so broken was hurting me. "People-People die from this thing. I can't help but wonder what if…ya know?" "Niall..""Hey! I gotta go." I look up to see Zayn standing over me. His eyes were just as red as Niall's. Louis was behind him sniffling. "We'll be back in the morning." He muttered. I nodded and they walked away. "Niall, maybe you should go home and get some rest." Niall shook his head vigorously. "No. I'm staying.""Niall…""No! I have to stay." He said. His voice was shaky. I sighed."Fine. Then I'll stay with you."  
So I stayed. Niall and I quietly sat and waited. I don't know what for though. It was cold in the hospital. I took out my phone and texted Harry. _I'm sorry about what happened to you today_. It was one in the morning now so he was probably asleep. I glanced over at Niall as I waited for a reply. He was starring blankly ahead. I started to say something, but my phone buzzed. _I was so scared._ I starred at the text. I could only imagine what it must be like. My phone buzzed again. _Look, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. You didn't deserve that. I love you. Please come home? Please?_ I smiled. I put my hands over the keys to type, but someone interrupted me. "Are you folks with a…Liam Payne?" Niall jumped up. "Yes!" The doctor smiled. "Hello. My name is Dr. Garret Lanes. You are aware of what is wrong with your….friend?""He's our friend, yes. He has pneumonia?""Yes. A very bad case of pneumonia. It's something that can be treated with antibiotics and plenty of rest. His case, unfortunately, is very serious. It will take a lot to treatment. It could have been avoided if he came in earlier.""Is he gonna be okay?" Niall asked. I could notice his hands were shaking, so I grabbed it. He held onto my hand tightly."He will be fine." The doctor said. "He can actually leave tomorrow. We will discharge him around 12 in the afternoon. For now, I suggest you guys go home and get some rest.""Thanks, Dr. Lanes." I said. He nodded then walked away."Well you heard him, Niall. Get some rest!" He sighed. Then smiled."He's gonna be okay?" I smiled then nodded."Yes! Okay fine! But I'm coming right back up here at 10 tomorrow.""Sounds good." I hugged him goodbye."Thanks for being here." He muttered into my ear."No problem, Niall."  
When I made it home, I slowly walked into the house. I didn't wanna fight anymore with Harry. I just wanted to cuddle. As soon as I made it past the door, Harry was already lifting me up and hugging me. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He muttered while kissing me all over. I giggled. "I'm sorry as well.""Babe, you have nothing to be sorry about….how's-how's Liam?" I smiled."He's fine. They're letting him out of the hospital tomorrow at around 10." Harry jumped with joy."Yes!" He kissed me again, pulling me to the bedroom."I'm so tired." He huffed."Me too." I said. He pressed his forehead to mine. I could only make out a bit of his features through the darkness. He was smiling. He slowly leaned down and placed a sweet kiss on my lips. Our lips moved together perfectly as he roamed his hands down my side. He placed kisses down up neck, to my collarbones. I giggled. "Harry, let's go to bed." I said. He laughed. "Agreed." I felt his large hands flip me around so he was behind me. Soon, his arms were wrapped securely around me. I fell asleep that night thankful that Liam was alright and I still had Harry.


	28. Chapter 28

Dear Diary?

Is that how I start^? Not sure. Well this is, officially, the best Christmas present ever. You know, because every lad wants a diary. Am I supposed to give you a name? Like…Lisa? Or maybe Darcy? …Yeah…Never mind with the name. Writing in one of these makes me feel….girlish. How does this work? God, I wish you could answer me back. Like in one of the Harry Potter movies! Anyways, I don't have much to say. I've been told that writing in one of these would make me a more "creative" person, but I feel more like a lunatic. My life isn't really documentary material. It's quite boring, if you ask me. Maybe I should tell you about myself, or myself about myself? My name's Harry. I like cats, cooking, singing, and chilling. People say I'm cute and I don't know why. I don't see it. Other then that I'm pretty boring. So…I guess I'll stop writing now? Yeah. I will. Bye Diary!

Dear Diary,

Hello! My day was great, Diary. Something magical happened. I met someone! Well…I wouldn't really say "met". It's more like…bumped into. She's so pretty! I can't get her eyes out of my mind. We only talked about 30 seconds, but I swear it was the best 30 seconds of my life. I want to see her again and talk to her some more! Wait! I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me explain. Well, I was kicking Niall's ass in FIFA 13 when everyone wanted coffee, so I volunteered. When I got there, there was a sign on the door saying " _Free coffee. Today only_!" I stopped and read the sign, and, like any person would be, I was overjoyed. Then, out of no where, (while I'm celebrating free coffee outside of Starbucks), I get smacked in the face with the door! It hurt really bad. My face still hurts. BUT when I looked down to see who the culprit was, I was confronted by this beautiful lady. She looked about my age, so beautiful! She kept apologizing, and I know I should have been mad, but I wasn't. I was actually…happy. She told me she was really sorry and I said it was okay, then she smiled and left. I was so…stunned by her that I couldn't even be mad that the stupid door lied. There was no free coffee.

Dear Diary,

Well after meeting that girl…I just. I don't know. I feel stupid. How did this happen? I fell obsessed. How did this happen?! How can you just look at a person for .01 seconds and have feelings for them? I just want to see her again. Is this normal? So many questions, zero answers. You know, Diary, you're really no help sometimes -_-.

Dear Diary,

I've got it! (Yes, I'm writing in you for a second time today). I'm going to find her. I'm going to pass by that coffee shop everyday for the next…let's say month at 4:00, and if I don't see her again then it's not faith, we don't belong together. If I do see her…I'm going to talk to her. Maybe you are good for something after all, Diary.

Dear Diary,

Day 3 of passing by the shop. No girl. L

Dear Diary,

Day 10: Still haven't found her.

Dear Diary,

Day 15: Giving up hope. Still no girl. Maybe she was just a tourist. Maybe I'll never see her again. The boys think I've gone mad. Maybe I have. Maybe I'll be forever alone. Good thing I like cats because I'll have a lot of them. Will you be my girlfriend, Diary? Wait….what if you're a boy? God, never mind.

Dear Diary,

Ah! Today I saw her. At first I couldn't believe it. I was actually going to get coffee at Starbucks, when my phone rang. Louis was texting me, telling me to change his order to a chocolate cookie crumble frappe. Well, thank God that goof did that! At first I was mad and was angrily texting him telling him to make up his mind, when I felt a hard object smack me across the face. It whacked me so hard I fell to the ground. Turns out I ran into the damn door. Before I could get up, I heard a very familiar voice. When I turned it was the girl! She asked me if I was okay. Well, I was after seeing her! She looked even prettier than before! I told her I was and she made a joke about the door not liking me. I was so embarrassed, but overjoyed nonetheless. I chatted her up a bit. Turns out her name is Rachel. It feels so right saying her name. I could write it a million times! Rachel. Rachel. Rachel. Anyway, I offered to buy her coffee and she said yes! We talked for hours, and even that wasn't enough. She said she wants to see me again! I can't be any happier, Diary! I even got her number. I'm texting her right now. Oh wait, this texts from Louis. He wants to know where his frappe is. Oops.

Dear Diary,

Waiting for Rachel to text me back. I found out so much about her! She's so outgoing and I can't wait to see her again. She texted back so…I guess I'll go. J Life's great!

Dear Diary,

So this is what it's like to genuinely like someone. It's been two weeks with Rachel and I feel like I've known her for forever! Holding her hand makes the butterflies in my stomach go out of control, kissing her is electrifying, hugging her is heart thumping. Every day with her is just…amazing. I feel 13 again, when I had my real official crush. Only this is better because she won't say, "ew cooties" when I kiss her. I really like her, Diary. She says she likes me too… That's a good thing. It's funny how I started this diary not knowing what to talk about, and now you're like…my personal venting book about Rachel. Ha-ha! I'm describing our kisses as "electrifying" Guess you are making me into a more "creating" person…and a lunatic, but a more "creative" person nevertheless.

Dear Diary,

Sorry I haven't written in you in a very long time (3 months to be exact). It's just I've been so busy. I'm in college now, which Is going great, I'm still with Rachel, and I got a job. Busy. Busy. Busy. I missed writing in you, really. Looking at all my other entries, I feel myself growing more embarrassed. All I talked about was Rachel. Oh well. She's well worth the space and paper. Yep. So just thought I'd write in you and give you a quick update. Bye now.

Dear Diary,

I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I LOVE YOU. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I LOVE YOU.

Is that okay? Is that what I tell her? Just say it. I love you. Right? God, I'm sweating. So nervous. Do you think she'll say she loves me too, Diary? I hope so. Otherwise…I'll be really upset. Crap! She's here for our date. I love you. I love you. I'll write later. She must say yes.

Dear Diary,

SHE SAID SHE LOVES ME TOO! YEAH!

Dear Diary,

I suck at keeping you updated, don't I? So here's an update: Rachel and I moved in together. It's awesome! I get to go to sleep with her and wake up to her too! I cook her breakfast every morning and she pays me back for it later, wink, wink! Just kidding. I feel like…she's the one. I know we've only been dating for about 6 months now, but I really think she's the one. God, I'm such a hopeless romantic. I think it's funny how this all began! Just a quick bump on the head and I fell head-over- heels in love. Can definitely see me 50 years from now, telling my grandkids that. Good thoughts, Diary.

Dear Diary,

I hate Rachel. She's the worst! I'm not going to write about her anymore!

Dear Diary,

Well… after this I won't! She broke up with me…and I don't know why. Everything was going so great. We were so happy. Now I'm hurt. Everything hurts. People say it's funny when you get your heartbroken, but it's really not. I can physically feel the pain in my heart. I just want her back. I think she's afraid of being in love. I mean…I don't know. Just would like to know what I did wrong. I want to make things right. She hurt me bad. And that's why I hate her!

Dear Diary,

Just trying to survive now. I've gotten too accustom to her and it's hard letting go. It's really hard not to think about her…or want to kiss her. I just want her back. It's been 2 weeks. Don't know what I'm doing with my life now. Why won't this pain go away? Love sucks!

Dear Diary,

Rachel called. She said she's sorry. She said she was afraid of getting too serious too fast. I think she should have thought about that before we moved in together. She wants me to forgive her and take her back. I really want to. Maybe I will.

Dear Diary,

Damn! I suck at keeping up, Diary! How many birthdays have come and gone? And I still haven't written in you? Sorry bout that. Today's Rachel's birthday. I'm going to ask her to marry me. We've been together almost two years, and I think it's time. I got her a really beautiful 4 carat ring. I hope she likes it! Wish me luck!

Dear Diary,

You're talking to a married man, Diary. Life's great! Everything's going so amazing for me…it's almost unreal. This isn't a dream right? I'm not going to wake up and everything's going to be…fictitious? Hope not. I'm having too much of a great time. I might not write for a while. Or ever. I don't think…maybe it's…I think I'm too old now. I'm married. I'm in my twenties. Am I too old to still use the diary I've had since I was 18? Dunno. If I don't ever write in you again, let me say you have been the best venting friend I've ever had. Without you…God knows what would have happened to me. Really. You really have made me a better person. I…I…Love you, Diary. If I wasn't married to Rachel, I'd get my cats and let you be my girlfriend. …Nope…that's still weird. Ha-Ha. Bye, friend.

*2 Years Later*

Dear Diary,

I'm a dad! I'm a father! I have a beautiful son! He's my everything. So freaked out. Oh my!

Dear Diary,

I don't know what to do. Rachel's been in a terrible accident. I knew I should have made her stay home. It was raining and she needed to go to the store, and I let her. Now…she's in the hospital. What do I do? I don't want to lose her.

Dear Diary,

It's weird to write that. It's been…so long. Many years have gone by since I've last written an entry. To be honest, 50 years have gone by. I look back and laugh at my old entries. For I was such a kid back then. I wish I was still a teen, and everything excited me. The touch of Rachel, her perfume, her presence. I tell my grandkids the very story I said I would! They think it's boring, but it was far from it. It was thrilling to be in love when I was young. Now it's just…mandatory. It's something I've grown so used to, but when I read that last entry I couldn't help but go back to that day. I was so scared. So scared I had lost something I loved to death. Something I couldn't live without. Sometimes you can get so caught up in life, you forget to live it. You forget what's really important to you until one day it's ripped from you, and threatens to never return. Then you learn. You learn to stop for a minute and just breathe. Just love. Just live. Ha-Ha I sound old. For a moment I thought I was actually back in my twenties. It was nice to just reminisce. Now I have to get back to cleaning the attack, or else Rachel will kill me, but you're going in our room. Bye, old friend.

Dear Harry,

It was nice to read all of those things you've said about me from ages ago! I really wish you would've told me about some of them. I realize you've loved me deeply for so long. So long. I sit now and I cry from happiness because of that. I never got to tell you my side of the story. I'll make it short. I was rushing out of that coffee shop for something…I can't remember. But I remember being angry. I grabbed my things and stormed out, but I hit someone. When I went to apologize, I saw the most handsome boy. He was tall and lanky, with a mop of curly brown hair, and beautiful eyes. I felt so connected. I was too shy to say anything but apologies, so I left. I thought about you everyday since. I even walked by the coffee shop everyday I could at 3:00 to see you, but you were never there. Then one day you just…appeared….on the ground. I was so happy to see you. Now after everything, our ups and downs, you're my husband. The love of my life. I'm glad you never gave up on me so long ago. I can't imagine my life today without you, my love. I will always love you, no matter what. You are something special.

Love,

Rachel


	29. Chapter 29

Courtney walked down the deserted street, admiring the stores she passed. For, in her eyes ,the world was a fantastic place to be. Everything excited her! The world was her palace. Her home. Though she thought highly of her surroundings, she wasn't naïve about it. She knew of the darkness that lived, thrived in people and in her "palace". She actually expected it. But she rather approach the opaque beings with an adoring optimism, than to already expect and assume she receive the worst. Courtney had a gentle care for things, and others, she knew how to have a good time, and she was comfortable with herself; being herself. And that got her through life with a welcoming smile on her face.

Courtney opened the door to the tiny, homely bakery, a bell ringing overhead. The place was a bit packed. She walked up to the counter where her friend was placing donuts into a paper bag. "Sharon!" She yelled out, imitating Ozzy Osbourne. Her friend laughed lightly, then walked over to the register to ring up the guy who brought all the doughnuts. "Thanks! Come again!" She said as he walked away. Sharon turned to Courtney and quickly said. "Get your ass behind this counter and help me!" "But I don't want toooooo." Courtney whined. "Today's my day off from the ice cream parlor, and you're not even paying me for this!" Courtney, when not attending university, worked at an ice cream parlor up the street. Sharon, however, worked in her parents bakery. It just so happens that her parents are out of town, leaving her to tend to all of the work by herself. Of course Sharon attempted to convince her parents to hire some help, but her parents just weren't for it. Courtney only had to help out twice since she's known Sharon. She still couldn't get the hang of anything. "I'll pay you in friendship!" Courtney ignored the displeased looks from the patiently waiting customers and continued to argue. In the end she lost. She made her way behind the counter and went to the register; ready (but not really) to work pro bono for her friend.

Finally, business slowed down a bit. Maybe because the customers were tired of Courtney's amateur service. The two girls sat in the empty bakery chatting away. Sharon in the kitchen baking more pastries, and Courtney in the front ready for customers to come in (but not really). The two yelled throughout the store. Suddenly Courtney heard the bell from the door ding loudly, signaling someone was entering. Courtney looked up and saw a guy around her age make his way to the counter. His hair was a bit curly and awkwardly swept to the side, loose curls framed his innocent looking face. He had on a jacket over a flannel, and a pair of jeans that looked three times too small for him, but he made it work. He smiled and a dimple that could kill played on his cheek. Now Courtney wasn't one to get uneasy around boys, she actually had no problem talking to them. She saw them as people just like herself. However, cute guys came in and out of this place and the ice cream parlor she worked at all the time. Whenever Sharon was around they felt it entertaining to rate the boys from 1-10. They called out their score ,not very inconspicuously, as they prepared whatever it was the boys wanted. Regularly, Sharon and Courtney couldn't agree. The boys Sharon believed to be cute be a perfect "10", Courtney though were 2's. Courtney never really found a guy cute enough to be a perfect 10 yet, but this guy-this guy just might be it. "Hello! How can I help you?"

"Um...Hi! I called last night about some cupcakes I ordered. Someone told me they would be ready around 10." Courtney looked at her watch. It was 8.

"Oh okay. You're a bit early, yeah?" She chuckled. He smiled again.

"Yeah, I was just passing by…" Courtney held her finger up, signaling him to hold on.

"Sharon!" She yelled again, imitating Ozzy. She did that every time she called Sharon's name.

"Yeah?" Sharon called from the kitchen.

"There's a guy here for some cupcakes." Courtney yelled.

"Give him cupcakes then!"

"I-" Courtney stopped then slumped her shoulders. Duh! She turned to the guy again, smiling politely.

"Okay…How may cupcakes did you want?"

"I ordered um…23."

"Holy- I mean, okay." She walked over to the pastry shelf with all the pastries. There were only 5 left. "Hold on." She said to the guy again.

"Sharon! There's only 5 cupcakes. He needs 23. I find it exceedingly unattainable to make 23 cupcakes of 5. He said he called last night."

"What?" Sharon called from the bake. There was a loud bang, followed by a curse. After a while, Sharon asked, "What's his name again." Courtney turned to the guy who was still waiting patiently for his order. "Harry." He said before she could ask.

"His name's Harry!" There was silence then another curse.

"Crap! He _did_ call last night. I forgot. Crap! Crap! Crap!" Sharon said. "It's okay! I'll make 23 really fast. It's easy. It'll be fine."

"Oh, Sharon. You messed up big time. Now this poor guy not only had to endure my horrible service, and hear us yell through the store, but now has to wait for you to cook his cupcakes that were already supposed to be prepared? Wow." Courtney chuckled sarcastically.

"I have a lot on my plate right now!" Sharon said stepping out of the kitchen. She looked at Harry.

"I'm so, so, so sorry! Please forgive me! Oh gosh! It's on the house. I'll have them through by 10, promise." He smiled at her.

"No, it's not big deal. I wasn't expecting them till 10 anyway. So it's alright. I guess…I'll just wait." He turned to go find a seat in the tiny bakery. Sharon shook her head muttering apologies and went bake to the kitchen to prepare the cupcakes. "God, I wish you knew how to bake!" Sharon yelled from the kitchen to Courtney. Courtney just shrugged and turned back to the guy. "So…I'm guessing you really like cupcakes?" She asked. He chuckled.

"I do, but they're for someone." Courtney nodded then grabbed some cleaning supplies to bust the empty tables. "I'm guessing you don't really work here." He said.

"Nope, I don't. However could you tell?" She sprayed a table and wiped off the deserted crumbs.

"Well," he started, "For one you're using a napkin to wipe down the tables and not a washcloth, I passed by earlier and saw that you looked completely lost and your friend-I'm assuming her name is Sharon- had to help you."

"Nice observations. But yeah, I work in the ice cream parlor up the street. Sharon's parents own this place and are out of town for the week, so in my precious spare time I'm forced to help her." Harry chuckled then watched, silently, as Courtney continued to clean tables.

"I used to work in a bakery." He said.

"Really? I'm sure you were a lot better at it than I."

"Nah. I was okay. It's not that hard, really."

"You're kidding! It's way harder."

"Working in an ice cream parlor seems harder. Much colder."

"Nah. It's nice. I get half off on ice cream, so I think the cold is well worth it."

Forty-five minutes later, Sharon came out from the back and to the counter, next to Courtney. "So, Harry, your cupcakes will be done very soon. They're just baking." He looked up from his phone and nodded. Sharon went over and arranged a few pastries on display. "8.5" Sharon said, not bothering to look up from her arrangements. Courtney was silent for a moment. "9.". Sharon glanced at Courtney, surprised. The highest she's ever gone was 8.5. "Wow." Sharon said.

"I'm sorry, but are you guys rating me?" Harry asked. Courtney and Sharon froze.

"Well someone's kind of narcissistic." Courtney spoke. Harry blushed then went back to his phone, chuckling. Overhead, "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor started to play and Courtney jumped up. "Sharon! This is our song. Dance with me!" Sharon shook her head then glanced over at Harry. "What if customers come in?" "It's okay." Courtney argued. "Please?" Courtney started to mouth the words to the first verse dramatically. Sharon giggled as she watched Courtney dance around the chairs of the bakery; soon joining in. For a moment, they forgot Harry was there. Harry watched them dance. He marveled Courtney as she moved her hips around and made silly faces while lip-syncing. His heart raced as you danced closer to him singing in his direction. When she winked she stole his breath away. He felt more for this stranger his just met, than for someone else he was supposed to love. He felt an odd attraction for her. When the song ended, they looked at him who was looking at them and they stayed like that, just starring. Then he burst out laughing. "You guys are…something." He said. Sharon blushed. "The cupcakes." She said walking away. Courtney smiled then went back behind the counter. The next 30 minutes Courtney and Harry spent gloriously glancing at each other when Courtney wasn't helping a customer. Finally, Sharon came out from the kitchen with a box; just ten minutes before 10. "Alright! Your cupcakes are finished. I'm so sorry about earlier. Again, I just have so much on-"

"It's alright love! You're just in time!" He opened the pink box and admired the cupcakes. "They look great! My um...girlfriend's gonna love them." And right there, Courtney's heart dropped. She wasn't sure why though. She just met this guy. She wasn't supposed to have feelings for him. She watched as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a $100 dollar bill. Sharon shook her head feverously. "No! No. On the house means free…"

"But I insist." He said trying to hand her the money.

"But-"

"No, please take it." She sighed then took it.

"Thank you so much for being so patient."

"And enduring our incessant eccentricity." Courtney said. He chuckled.

"My pleasure." With one last smile towards both the girls, Harry made his way to the door. Sharon turned and went back to the kitchen. Before Harry could fully leave the bakery he turned and said "10", winked (offering one of his crooked smiles with the dimple), then left. Leaving Courtney with a silly grin on her face.

A few days later, Courtney returned to Sharon's bakery. This time the place wasn't so packed. Infact, there was no one in there. "Sharon!" Courtney yelled as usual. Sharon came running out! "Courtney! Guess what!"

"I'm not helping you today." Courtney said.

"What? No! You remember that guy a few days ago?" Of course she did. She couldn't get him out of her mind. But Sharon couldn't know that.

"No."

"You know! 23 cupcakes guy. 9 rating!" Courtney pretended to get it.

"Oh! Yeah. What about him?"

"That was Harry Styles from that boy band One Direction! He was here getting cupcakes for his girlfriend, Shayla Clift!" Sharon yelled. Shayla was one of the biggest music stars of the year. Courtney was not amused though. All she could think about was him calling her a 10.

"But I believe their relationship is for publicity."

"Why?"

"Because he came in here yesterday looking for you! At first he played it cool, saying he need more cupcakes. Then he asked if you were here." Courtney freaked on the inside.

"Oh, that's nice." She said. Sharon gave her an odd look.

"Don't. You know you're excited." Courtney rolled her eyes.

"No. Why should I be? He's just a boy. I don't even know him that well. He has a girlfriend."

"A fake girlfriend."

"Unless they say otherwise, I believe it's real." Sharon groaned.

"You're so annoying when you try to play cool!" She said going back behind the counter. Courtney sat at an empty table and read a magazine. A few minutes later she heard the door bell ring as someone entered. She didn't bother looking up, but she still felt eyes on her. "This is where I got those cupcakes." She heard a familiar voice. Courtney glanced up for a split second to see Harry starring down at her. When their eyes connected, he smiled. "Babe, this place is so cute!" The very tall and skinny girl next to him stated. Her long blonde hair flowed over her shoulder, and her crisp red lips hid a beautifully white smile. "Sharon!" Courtney yelled. A few seconds later, Sharon appeared from the back. "Hey! Can I help you?"

"Hey!" Harry said like he knew Sharon all his life, "How are you, love?" Sharon smiled.

"Great, Harry. And you?"

"Fine. This is my um...girlfriend Shayla." He said more to Courtney than to Sharon. The two girls greeted each other, then Harry ordered he and his girlfriend some muffins. Harry lead them to a table like 3 feet away from Courtney. He sat facing her, looking her square in the eye. Courtney observed that he didn't look very happy. The girl talked for days, but seemed very sweet. Just not his type.

After they finished eating, Harry told Shayla to wait outside for him while used the restroom. She agreed then left. Harry walked over to Courtney. "Hey! I've been looking for you."

"And why is that?"

"We need to talk."

"About?" Courtney asked.

"Us." The boy said.

"But I don't even know you."

"But I feel like I know you. I know you feel the same."

"What about-"

"She's just…I-"

"Tell me you don't want anything to do with her and I'll be with you."

"…I- I….I can't."

"You have your answer then."

"You don't understand." Harry said.

"You should go."

"She's…I'm not aloud to tell…." he said. Courtney ignored him and he sighed then walked away. She couldn't get involved. Not with someone who had a girlfriend. Courtney wasn't arrogant in anyway, but she knew she wasn't an option, just a priority. So she couldn't fall for him. But maybe it's too late for that.

Throughout the week Harry couldn't keep his mind from trailing back to Courtney. She was everything he looked for in a girl. She was funny, she could laugh at herself, she was different. There was just something about her that was so memorable. She implanted herself in his brain, burning a hole in it. Forever scarring him. Funny thing is, he didn't mind. As he opened the door to the ice cream parlor, he caught a glimpse at Courtney. She looked perfect to him. When he stepped in Courtney looked up at him, then rolled her eyes. "Hi! Is there anything I can interest you in today?" She asked flatly.

"You." He said.

"Sorry, we don't sell that here. Anything else?"

"Courtney…" Courtney walked away leaving Harry to look at the ice creams.

"You don't understand how much I like you."

"But your girlfriend…"

"She's fake." He whispered. Courtney looked up at him.

"What?"

"She's fake. The whole thing's for…publicity. You know she has a single coming out, we just put out an album. And we leave in ,like, three days for tour…"

"You're leaving?"

"…Yeah." Courtney felt her heart sink.

"So please just be with me. Please? I can't even count all the hours I've been thinking about you for the past week!" Courtney was silent for a moment. She walked from behind the counter and hugged him. Silently thanking some holy being that the parlor was empty. He rested his hands on her waist and pulled her close. She looked up into his perfect eyes and found him looking right back at her. He leaned in and pressed his forehead to hers. "If I kiss you right now, would I be a 10?" Courtney laughed. "Because I think you're a ten…so it's only fair." Courtney pressed her lips to his. They fit perfectly together. Her heart started to thump wildly and her stomach erupted with the pressure of butterflies. The kiss was slow and sensual, giving both Harry and Courtney goose bumps. His teeth browsed her lower lip before pulling away. Courtney couldn't help the smile that was plastered on her face.

The next day Courtney watched as Sharon and Harry walked out from behind the bakery counter. It was around 8 P.M. and the store had just closed. Harry had an apron on and was carrying a plate with cupcakes on it. When he sat it down, he smiled at Courtney. "I should work here. I don't understand how you find it hard. It's the best."

"Yeah, Harry's a real help in the back." Courtney was silent, holding back a perverted laugh because that's just the way she was. Harry laughed then kissed her forehead. "Try it!" Courtney did not waver on that command. When she bit into it, she had no doubt in her mind that that was the best cupcake she had ever had. "Man, Sharon, if I owned this place I'd fire you and hire Harry." Sharon gasped dramatically. "Is it because I'm not your boyfriend."

"Something like that." Courtney stood up and wrapped her arms around Harry's neck.

"Babe." She said. "You're my first perfect 10." Harry smiled that beautiful smile of his, then pressed his lips to hers. "It's about time. Lets also hope I'm the last."


	30. Chapter 30

"Celeste will you listen to me or do I seriously have to turn off your phone?" she waved her right hand before my face to catch my attention and I finally lifted my eyes to my mother.

"Yeah," I mumbled, not even bothering to be nice as she was about to yell at me again.

"Do you realize we came here on this holiday, so we can all spend time together? There's sun, ocean, sand and everything and all you're doing is only checking your phone!" my mom yelled out frustrated, but I only snorted quietly.

"Mom, you know I didn't want to go," I said and shifted my eyes back at my screen to my twitter account, which only caused my mom to walk away cursing for herself.

Don't get me wrong, I love my mother more than anything, but she was honestly pushing all my buttons. She wanted me to spend some time with her and her new family. My parents got divorced few years ago and I was living with my grandparents since their house was closest to my school. My mom got married a year ago, but I really wasn't quite happy about it. Sure Fred, my stepdad, was nice guy, but his two daughters were, well, total opposite of me. Kelly and Molly were 16 years old twins, both perfectly tall and skinny, with thick blonde hair, big blue eyes and stunning smiles. They were popular and they knew it. Me, on the other hand, was short teenage girl with anything but perfect body. I had normal body type, but my stomach wasn't flat, my legs wasn't skinny, and with my ordinary light brown hair and brown eyes I was just invisible to most people. I was that kind of kid with only one best friend, average grades and no talent. And life wasn't easy for people like me.

"Cel, come to water! Don't be lame like always and put the phone away!" Molly yelled at me from the ocean, but I just shook my head.

"Like I want to be in swimsuit beside your perfect selves," I mumbled to myself and lied down on my back, pushing earphones in my ears and escaped to the sweet world of perfect music.

A little later, just as song Rock Me by for me absolutely best band ever One Direction came on, I felt someone's presence and pushed my eyes open only to find myself staring at my stepsisters.

"Cel, mom wants you to come with us. We are going on this boat to look at that small island over there. And you have to come with us," Kelly informed me simply.

"But I'm completely comfortable right here," I said with a frown.

"I don't think that was a question. You're coming with us and that's it," Molly pointed out.

"Look, we all know we will never be friends or have that perfect sibling relationship, but can we just pretend it in front of parents so we make them happy?" Kelly said quickly and I sighed as nodding my head.

They smiled softly, but I could clearly see in their eyes they were less than happy I was coming with them. I stood up with a sigh and tried to pull my shorts a bit down as trying to hid my thighs before the girls. I followed them, occasionaly rolling my eyes at their conversation about Kelly's boyfriend and Molly's crush. I wanted to ran away so badly, but I couldn't as I understood this was important for my mom. I didn't quite pay attention as we reached one small boat and tripped on a rope which held the boat. I prepared myself for a fall, but someone's hand caught my waist so I didn't lose my balance.

"Careful love," thick british accent said and I frozed on the spot. I knew that voice, I could recognize that voice at any moment and place. My breath caught in my throat as I lifted my eyes and found myself staring at Louis Tomlinson. "You might get hurt."

"Y-you're...One Direction..oh god," I stammered and mentally slapped myself for being so awkward.

"Yes, I'm 1/5 of them, Louis Tomlinson at your service," he grinned brightly and I felt my cheeks grow hot.

I parted my lips to answer him, but before any sound left them, my two stepsisters yelled from happiness and rushed to my side.

"Oh my god! You are Louis!" Kelly screamed in his face as Molly only nodded, completely speechless.

"Uh, girls could you not scream, I don't want to be recognized. And beside I was talking to this lovely lady," he explained quickly and my orbs widen as I realized what he just said.

"Her? Why?" Molly frowned and I suddenly felt very insecure.

"What's your name?" Louis ignored her comment as he turned to me.

"I-I'm, my name is Celeste," I said nervously and I almost kicked myself for not even being able to say my name properly.

"Beautiful name for a beautiful girl," he smirked and I blushed again, almost ignoring giggles from by sisters.

"I'm Kelly and this is Molly," Kelly looked at him through her long eyelashes and sent him a stunning smile. "Would you like to come with me and Molly on that island, we would like to explore it."

My stomach dropped as Louis copied her smile. Of course, what was I thinking? Someone like him would never noticed me, especially when two gorgeous girls are by my side.

"Ladies, I'm flattered by your offer, but let's face it. I know girls like you, perfect grades, perfect friends and perfect looks. But you don't actually give a shit about me, you just think it would be so great to have a picture with me so all your so-called friends could envy you. I won't go anywhere with you. Actually, I would rather spend some time here with Celeste, while you two can explore the island by yourselves," Louis finished his speech with his typical pearly white smile and I let my jaw drop.

I was not the only one surprised, shock was written all over their faces and they only watched as Louis turned to me again. From the corner of my eye I saw both girls walked again, their heads down with a disappointment.

"God, I really dislike people like them," he rolled his perfect eyes with a chuckle.

"They're my stepsisters," I mumbled and I saw the alarm in his eyes, so I quickly continued. "But I'm not really close with them, more like opposite."

His lips parted as he was about to say something, but a male voice called his name and he waved at his friends quickly.

"Sorry love, seems like I have to go. Are you sure you don't fall down again if I'll let you go now?" he asked me sweetly and I blushed deeply as I realized his arm was still around my waist.

"I'll try my best," I mumbled and released from him.

"Can I ask you in which hotel do you live?" Louis asked with a small smile and he scratched the back of his neck nervously.

"That blue one, over there," I waved my hand at the huge building in the distance.

"I will definitely find you there. It really was a pleasure to meet you, Celeste," he smiled wildy at me before he kissed my cheek softly and in a split of second he was gone.

"Well maybe my life isn't that pathetic as I thought," I said to myself as I touched my cheek, spot where Louis Tomlinson's lips touched me.


	31. Chapter 31

The sky was playing with different colors as the sun was setting down, forming the imaginary halo around him. I studied his profile secretly while his eyes were fixed on the ocean before us. His perfect jawline added beauty to his already handsome face, his chocolate brown eyes held wisdom and kindness. He was perfect to me, just like he was when I first met him.

But something had changed. He was not still the same young man I used to know, he was now different. Surely, he still cared, helped me or made love to me. But he never ran his thumb across mine as we held hands, never kissed me on my cheek just because he felt like it or barely asked about my day.

Liam Payne had changed.

We were in a relationship for five years, five beautiful years of love, lust, truth and hope. I was by his side as his band started, supporting his every decision, accepting his career, tolerating all the hate from his fans. I was with him even I was lonely through too many nights while he was touring, even being with him meant to be hated and judged. All because I loved him.

"Liam babe," I said softly, even I wasn't sure what I wanted to say. But he somehow understood and his gaze met mine. He studied my face for a while before he turned away with a small, almost not audible sigh.

"I need to tell you something," he stated after a while, his eyes fixed on me again. "Do you remember as one day I came home, exhausted from concert, and you were there waiting, with dinner served at table, while wearing that blue dress which hugged you perfectly? You didn't ask me questions or yelled at me for not being home all day, even it was your birthday. Do you remember that?" I nodded slowly, not being sure why he was talking about that, but he continued. "That night I told you how much I adore you, how I love you. How I can't imagine my life without you by my side. Ellie, I don't feel it anymore. I just I don't love you like I did yesterday. And if you go now, don't think I'll try to make you stay."

And my world crashed down.

All my hopes and plans for future disappeared like a smoke from a cigarette. I tried to say something, but I couldn't find my voice. I choked on my own saliva, the tears in my eyes blurred my vision. But I still stood up and walked away from him.

From o̶u̶r̶ his life.

 _ **3 years later**_

I was walking across the street, easily avoiding rushing people, sweat forming on my temples from the fast walk as I was heading from the work. Even there was nobody waiting for me.

From the moment Liam broke up with me I was pretty devastated, afraid to learn to live on my own. But with a little help from my friends I did. I found a job I enjoyed and I worked too hard, trying to forget my inner pain. But even Liam broke my heart I was sure I could never stop loving him.

I did never contact him and neither he did. But I couldn't escape him because his face was at the cover of the most magazines. I was truly happy for his success, mainly because everybody thought their band was not going to last more than few years. But they made it. And even Liam was not part of my life anymore, I was very proud.

"Ellie!" I heard a voice called my name and I frozed right on my spot. Could it be? I turned around, much slower than needed, and I looked at the same eyes, same brown eyes I fell for.

"Liam..." I whispered.

"How are you?" he asked me after a moment of silence as he eyed me carefully, not like he was worried, but like he was taking in my features. And maybe it was just my imagination, but I saw only love and sadness in his eyes.

"I've been better," I admitted.

"C-can we...don't you want to grab a coffee?" he said after a while and I only realized I nodded my head as he gently touched my small back as leading me to the nearest caff.

"Why, Liam? Why did you say the things that you said?" I found my courage to ask him after a minutes of silence as we were already sitting at the table, cups of hot liquid in front of us.

"I am sorry," he whispered and tears formed in his eyes as his voice cracked. "I made the biggest mistake in my life when I let you go. I should have never told you all those things, because they were never true. I frankly was scared as hell, because I love you too much. I was afraid of it, afraid that you could leave away from me, so I did it. I let you walk away because I was afraid of you doing that to me. I know it doesn't make any sense. Ellie, forgive me. Without you I am incomplete. I tried my best to live without you, but I just cannot. I can't bear it anymore and when I saw you on the street, it hit me straight to my heart. You did. Please, do not leave me alone anymore."

I stared at him, million emotions running through my head as he speak. It was the words I was dying to hear. But he left me. He left me in my own pain and I suffered for too long.

"And maybe I am still in love with you. And I will give you all my heart so we can start it all over again," I breathed out, at first didn't realizing I said that aloud. But as his face lighted up I knew I did. I knew I did right thing. Because Liam Payne never left my heart.

And I guess no one else can break your heart more than a true love.


	32. Chapter 32

It was a normal Tuesday in Ireland as I was waiting for my best friend to come home from tour. Wait let me introduce myself. My name is Alli Kane. I'm 15 years young and pretty crazy sometimes. My best friend is Niall Horan. Yeah THE Niall Horan from One Direction. We grew up together, we taught each other how to play guitar. There weren't really others around that were the same age as me and Niall. Niall only thinks of me as his best friend but, I really wish he'd think of me as something more. I mean I think of him as more than a friend but, I don't think he likes me like that. I am gonna change that. Anyways back to my story. I was waiting for Niall to come home because I haven't seen him in forever and he said he had a surprise for me. "ALLI! OPEN UP IT'S NIALL!" he yells. "NIALL!" I say running to the door and opening it. He tackled me with a hug, accidently knocking us both to the ground, his face inches from mine. Ok, I'll admit it I loved the position we were in. "Hi Niall." I say as he blushes. "Niall, you're gonna kill her." someone said. He got off of me and said, "Shut up, Louis. She's fine." "So what's my surprise?" I ask as he covers my eyes leading me outside. "Niall." I whine as he uncovers my eyes. I see four not bad looking guys but, no one compares to my little Nialler. Yeah I came up with that. "Alli, I'd like you to meet my band mates: Louis, Liam, Zayn, Harry." he said. "Niall, how the heck am I supposed to tell them apart?" I say laughing. "Ok, LOUIS!" he yells and a guy with messy hair and stripes steps forward. "Hi, I'm Louis." "Is that all you have to tell me?" "Oh, sorry. I love stripes and suspenders. I'm super crazy. I love carrots and ummm what else?" he says looking away. "MMMEEE!" the curly haired one shouted. "Oh, yeah. And Harry." Louis says proudly. I shoot Niall a confused look and he mouths 'bromance'. Oh ok. "Um, next is...LIAM!" Niall yells again. "Hi, I'm Liam. Otherwise known as Daddy Direction." Liam says. "Oh and why is that?" I ask. "Who do you expect to keep these wild ones in line?" he counters and then leans in and whispers, "You know Niall talks about you all the time." which causes me to blush. "I do not, Liam." Niall says but when I turn around I see him blushing. "Ok...ZAYN!" he yells once again. "Niall stop shouting." Liam says. Wow, I thought he was kidding. "Hi, I'm Zayn. I'm mysterious and I like to draw." he says simply. "And lastly, HARRY!" Niall yells, hopefully for the last time. "Hi I'm Harry and you're beautiful." he says smiling cheekily at the end. "Oh, uh, thanks?" I say. "Whoa, Niall. I don't think you can kill Harry by staring at him." Liam says and I turn around. Niall was either staring daggers at Harry or trying to get lasers to shoot out of his eyes or both. "Sorry." Harry mumbled. "SO...Nialler what do you wanna do since your back and all." I ask breaking the awkward silence that had come upon us. "Well, how about we do what we used to do around here." Niall says slyly. "FOOTBALL IN THE PARK!" me and Niall yell at the same time and we race down the street as the others scramble to keep up. "You remember the way, Nialler?" I ask as we're running. "Definitely" he said back. Me and Niall were the first to get there and I didn't even see the others. "Alli can I ask you something?" Niall asks clearly noticing that the others weren't here. "Um, yeah Niall. What's up?" I say. "Well, there's this girl, that I like, well like is an understatement." "Niall get to the point." I say. "Oh, right. Well...thatgirlisyouandIwantedtoknowifyoulikedmeback." he says kinda fast. "Niall, honey, I couldn't understand a word you just said." I say to him taking his hands in mine. "Alli, I think I'm in love with you." he says. Before I respond he crashes his lips into mine. I was so shocked I didn't kiss back. He pulls away and says, "Alli, I'm so sorry..." he starts but, I cut him off by smashing my lips onto his this time. He responds by kissing me back, letting go of my hands and putting them on my waist. I put my hands around his neck. The kiss was so magical, passionate but gentle. We pull apart and Harry says, "About time!" But, Niall ignores him and says to me, "Will you be my girlfriend?" "If you'll be my little Nialler." I say and he kisses me again. "I will. Forever and always." he says and I giggle. "Well, how about that game of football?" Louis asks. "Fine but, I'm on Alli's team." Niall says as we divide teams. Niall, Louis, and I on one team. Liam, Harry, and Zayn on the other. When are team won Niall came running over and tackled me and knocked me down once again. "Wow, you are beautiful." he says as I blush. "Thanks." I say before he kisses me again.


	33. Chapter 33

"ALYSSA COME ON!" My best friend yelled. "What?" I moan. "Alyssa you can't stay in bed forever." She says as I throw my pillow at her "Why not?" I ask as she sits on my bed. "Look Alyssa, you need to quit crying over Niall, ok?" "But, Kylie. He didn't even tell me he was leaving." I say as I flop back down on the bed and the flashback hits me.  
 ***FLASHBACK***  
It was our Spring Formal and I was in the corner crying because my date stood me up. I feel a pair of eyes on me and I look up and see Niall. "Alyssa are you ok?" he asked and sat down next to me. "No" I mumbled and he hugged me. "Do you wanna dance?" He asked and took my hand. "But, there's no music playing." "I know but, I don't care as long as I'm with you." he said standing up and pulled me up with him. We danced for a long time that night with no music playing.  
 ***END OF FLASHBACK***  
"Alyssa, are you ok?" Kylie asked. I didn't answer. "Another flashback?" she asked again. "Yeah." "What about?" " The time he danced with me with no music playing." I said as I flopped back down on the bed as another flashback hit me.  
 ***FLASHBACK***  
We were sitting in the tree house my dad made me,staring up at the stars. "Wow. These stars are so beautiful." I said. "Well, I know one thing that's more beautiful." he said as he took my hand. "Oh, yeah? And what is that?" I asked. "You." he said then he kissed me. It was one of the best kisses we ever shared.  
 ***END OF FLASHBACK***  
"Alyssa did you have another flashback?" Kylie asked as I sat up once again. "Yeah." "Which one was it this time?" she asked. "Our first kiss." I said starting to tear up. "Ok Alyssa. Get changed and meet me outside." She demands and starts walking towards the door. "Why?" I whine. "Because you've been moping around since Niall. And he left three months ago." "Fine." I say as she walks out of my room. I walk over to my closet and pick out dark wash short shorts, socks, my favorite converse, and a light green long sleeve shirt. Thats when another flashback hits me.  
 ***FLASHBACK***  
"Niall, where are we going?" I giggled as he took his hands off my eyes. "Niall its-its beautiful." I say. It was a candle-lit bridge over a small creek in the park near my house. "Not as beautiful as you." he says before kissing me on the cheek. "Niall I-I don't know what to say." I said and turned towards him. "Then how about I do this." he says before kissing me. It was one of the best dates we ever had.  
 ***END OF FLASHBACK***  
I tried not to cry at the end of that last flashback. I headed downstairs and opened the door to see someone I didn't expect to see there. "N-Niall?" I ask before he wraps me in one of those famous Horan Hugs. "Alyssa, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you about going on tour. I just thought I couldn't bear to see you cry." He says before I hug him once again. "Oh and Kylie told me something about the one thing you wont forget, what is it?" he asks looking me square in the eye. "The one thing I wont forget is how much you told me you loved me." I and he kisses me again. "Oh and Alyssa?" he asks. "Yeah, Niall?" "I love you." "I love you too, Niall." I say and he kisses me again.


	34. Chapter 34

Hi, I'm Louise Peazer and yes I am Danielle Peazer's younger sister. I'm 19 and Danielle just turned 24 back in June. Since I am her little sister I have met One Direction and I have the BIGGEST crush on Niall. But, anyways here's how my story started.  
It was a normal Sunday in June, actually it was Dani's bday. I was sitting on the couch watching reruns of Say Yes To The Dress: Atlanta. "That dress is so pretty." I mumbled to myself as Dani came running down the stairs. "Louise, what are you doing?" she asked placing her hands on her hips. "What do you mean what am I doing? I watching tv, isn't it obvious Dani?" I countrered. "The boys are coming over to celebrate my birthday and you look disgusting." she said gesturing to my pjs. "Hey, I don't look that disgusting." I said standing up. "Whatever, just go change." she said turning off the tv and walking into the kitchen. I ran up to my room and picked out a gold top, black skirt, and black glitter boots.I walked down the stairs and saw the boys were standing around Dani just talking, when I cleared my throat.  
*Niall's POV*  
Wow, Louise looked beautiful. God, Ihope she loves me the way I love her.  
(Back to Louise's POV)  
"*Gasp* LIAM!" I squeeled and ran up and hugged him. I don't really like him like that, I just like to tease Dani by flirting with him and they both know I don't mean it but, Liam plays along, so it's even funnier. "Hey, babe." he says kissing me on the cheek and Dani comes up and pushes me into Niall and says, "My turn." and he kisses her on the lips. *Sigh* They'll be together forever.  
*Niall's POV*  
Great, that's just great. She loves Liam the way I love her. Well, I'm gonna have to change that.  
*Louise's POV*  
"Well, just for Dani's birthday I thought I would make her a cake." I said taking Liam's hand and walking into the kitchen. "Is it a red velvet cake by any chance?" she asked and Niall took her hand. I look over at Liam and he doesn't look happy. I on the other hand was hurt,beyond hurt. Liam looked at me and realized that I was...hurt? I don't know exactly what I was feeling because I was feeling alot of feelings...I guess that's what you would call it. Liam gripped my hand even tighter and dragged me upstairs to my room. He threw me in and rushed in behind me, closing and locking the door behind him. "Liam, babe, let me out." I said walking towards him. "Not until you tell me what the heck just happened down there." he said crossing his muscle-y arms, infront of his chest. "What?" I asked, playing dumb or at least trying too. "Louise, I saw the way you looked at Niall when he did that. Don't play dumb." he said uncrossing his arms and grabbing my shouders. I on the other hand just stared at him. "Wait, Louise, do like Niall?" he asked shaking me just a little bit. My eyes widened in fear and he just smirked. "Oh my God, you do don't you?" He let go of my shoulders and unlocked and opened the door. I didn't want him to tell Niall or Dani or the other boys so I tackled him to the floor. I'm surprised that I did and he was too, I mean he was way stronger than me. "How the heck did you do that?" he asked. "I honestly don't know, Liam. But, listen to me." I started before I was cut off. "Don't you mean babe?" he asked smirking. "Shut up and let me finish. Don't you dare tell Niall that I like him." I finished. "And if I do?" he countered. "I'll tell Dani that you forgot her birthday." I said. "Fine, I won't tell but, don't you dare tell Dani that I did, Louise." he said. "Don't you mean babe?" I asked mimicking him. "Louise, can I ask you something?" I heard Niall ask coming up the stairs. "What is going on here?!" he screamed. Dani came running up the stairs. "What the...?" I rolled off of Liam and ran downstairs, tears forming in my eyes. I was almost certain that Niall would never like me now. I didn't even stop in the living room, I just ran out the door, not caring about the footsteps I heard behind me.  
*Niall's POV*  
"What was that?" I yelled after Louise ran downstairs. "Yeah, what was that?" Dani asks. "Look, Dani, I've gotta tell you something but, Niall I really need you to talk to Louise. Please?" Liam asked. "Yeah, alright." I said and started walking down the stairs but, when I heard the front door slam, I ran down the stairs and out the door before the boys could even walk out of the kitchen.  
*Dani's POV*  
"Liam, what did you want to tell me?" I asked. "Look, Louise really likes Niall and now she thinks he hates him. We need to set them up." Liam said. The urgentcy (sp?) was kinda frightning. 'There's no way Louise likes Niall.' I thought as Liam explained how we would set them up.  
*Louise's POV*  
I just kept running, not caring it was pouring. I just kept running, I heard footsteps behind me but, I didn't dare look. When I finally couldn't run any more I collasped and just started sobbing. The footsteps stopped and the person who was chasing me sat down next to me and hugged me. I finally stopped crying long enough to look up and see who it was. "N-Niall?" I asked. "Louise, we need to get you inside." Niall said before kissing my forehead. "Niall, I can't walk any more. My legs just won't do it." I said looking up. "Then I'll just have to carry you." he said picking me up bridal style and started walking back to mine and Dani's flat. We were about halfway there when Niall asked me, "Louise can I put you down so I can ask you something?" "Yeah sure." I said and he put me down. "Louise, I've really liked you for a long time, since the day we met 3 years ago." he said stepping closer to me. "So, I was wondering would you like to be my girlfriend?" he asked me. So, I kissed him in the pouring rain.  
*3 years later*  
Me and Niall were sitting on the couch watching Say Yes To The Dress: Atlanta. "That dress is so pretty." I said snuggling closer to Niall. "Yeah, Louise can I ask you something?" Niall asked standing up. "Yeah, sure babe." Me and Niall had been dating since Dani's 24th birthday, 3 years ago. He got down on one knee and asked the question I was waiting for, "Louise will you marry me?" The tears started pouring down my face,"Yes." I got off the couch and jumped into his loving arms and he put the ring on my finger.  
*4 months later*  
I was standing at the alter holding hands with my soon to be husband, Niall Horan. Dani and Eleanor were my bridemaids. And Liam,Zayn,Louis,and Harry were the groomsmen."I now pronouce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." the priest said before Niall grabbed my hips and pulled me in for a nice long kiss. It was a small wedding only family and a couple of friends. Lux was such a cute flower girl and was now chasing a butterfly and that's how my story ends. Oh, wait a minute. I guess I should tell you how everything turned out. Niall and I had two kids a boy named Owen and a girl named Emilia. Danielle and Liam got married 3 months after we did and they have a daughter named Kelia (pronouced Ka-lia). And Louis and Eleanor got married 2 months BEFORE we did and they have the cutest little twins Tommy and McKayla. Oh, and the band is still together and they have 5 albums out with a 6th one in the works. The question you're probably askin gnow is: What about Harry and Zayn? Well, Zayn proposed to Perrie 3 weeks after Dani and Liam had Kelia. And Harry has had his girlfriend Erica for 3 years and is planning on proposing soon. They are such a cute couple. So, that's how everything turned out. We all lived a very long happy lives together the end.


	35. Chapter 35

*Louis's POV*  
 **I keep playin' it inside my head**  
 **All that you said to me**  
 **I lie awake just to convince myself**  
 **That this wasn't just a dream**  
As I'm lying in bed staring up at the ceiling, with no hope of falling asleep soon, I think about the last time I saw her. She had been crying because of what my best friend did. She sang That Should Be Me for the third round in this compitition we held eariler this year. Liam,Zayn,Niall,and I sang backup for her and Harry said he didn't like it. She ran out crying and I stood up for her. I guess she didn't know where to go so, she ran into parking lot. I had run after her, comforted her, held her, and told her everything would be ok, only to have Harry come out and kiss her. Right infront of me and that killed me. Well, it didn't really, but, it felt like it. She had said to me the night before when we were planning in my apartment, "Louis, if this plan doesn't work and Harry hates me after this, do you think, we could maybe go out sometime?" I told her I'd love that. If this was any kind of dream, it was a nightmare, that my best friend hurts the girl I love and then gets back together with her.  
 **Cuz you were right here**  
 **And I shoulda taken the chance**  
 **But, I got soo scared**  
 **And I lost the moment again**  
I had the chance to kiss her. I had the chance to make her mine. But, I didn't take the chance and I lost the moment...again. I turned onto my side and looked at the clock. It read:2:00 a.m. I couldn't call her now. Well, I could but, she wouldn't answer. Liam,Niall,and Zayn wouldn't answer at this hour. Harry might but, how could I tell him I was in love with his girlfriend? That's right, I couldn't. I hopped out of bed,stretched,and walked downstairs. I sighed and looked at the pictures hanging on the walls. Some of me and Harry, some of me and the lads, some me and my sisters, some of me and Stan, and finally some of me and Beatriz. I charished those pictures and stared at them a little longer than the rest. We both had huge smiles on our faces and I smiled at the thought of how happy we were that day. I sighed again and walked into the kitchen.  
 **It's all that I can think about, oh.**  
 **You're all that I can think about.**  
 **Is your heart taken?**  
 **Is there somebody else on your mind?**  
 **I'm so sorry I'm so confused, just tell me.**  
 **Am I outta time?**  
 **Is your heart breaking?**  
 **How do you feel about me now?**  
 **I can't believe I let you walk away when.**  
 **When I shoulda kissed you.**  
 **I shoulda, I shoulda,oh, I shoulda kissed you.**  
 **I shoulda, I shoulda,oh, I shoulda kissed you.**  
 **I shoulda, I shoulda,oh, I shoulda kissed you.**  
 **I shoulda, I shoulda,oh, I shoulda kissed you.**  
I wish I could call her and ask her questions I really need answers to. Is your heart taken? Is there somebody else on your mind? Am I outta time? Is your heart breaking? How do you feel about me now? But, I would get the same answers:My heart is taken by Harry and he's the only one on my mind. My heart isn't breaking and I feel the same way as I always feel about you, Louis. I was so worked up by then I slammed my fist into the closest thing to me,which happened to be my refridgerator. I yelled as my fist swelled and turned a horrible shade of purple. I yelled again and thought 'Oh my God, what do I do?' I ran back upstairs and grabbed my phone. I quickly dialed Beatriz because I needed to talk to her. "Hello?" she grumbled into the phone. "B, come quick I think I broke my hand." I told her. "Alright I'll be there in five." she said hanging up. "YES!" I yelled to no one. I looked down at my hand and realize it was now turning black and it was throbbing. I heard a knock at the door and ran to open it, accidently banging my head off of it in the process. I opened the door and rubbed my forehead with my good hand. "Oh my God Louis! Did you hit your head on the door?" she asked coming inside. She threw her bag on the floor and grabbed my hand, forcing me to sit down on the couch. "Louis, your hand's black! What the heck did you do?!" she asked looking in my eyes. "I puched the refridgerator." I mumbled nervously. "Why?" "Because I love you!" I shouted. She just stared at me,like I was growing a second head or something. "What?" she whispered. "B, I love you! I always have and I always will. Whether you like me back or not." I said, just a smigde quieter this time. She didn't answer me, so, I looked down at the floor. We sat there in silence for a little bit, before she lifted up my chin and placed her lips on mine. I kissed back only because it was the moment I was waiting for. She pulled away and looked at me, as if she was studying me. "I thought you and Harry were dating." I said. I mentally slapped myself and thought,'Dude she just kissed you. Why'd you ask that?' "We were but, I didn't feel anything when we kissed." she said blankly. "So, did you feel anything with me?" I asked. "Actually I did." she said. I was so excited I kissed her. She kissed back and grabbed my hands. I pulled back in pain, wanting to scream but, not daring to. "You wanna scream don't you?" I nodded. "Then go ahead." So, I did. We both ended up in the hospital, me with a broken wrist and a small migrane, Beatriz with a migrane. Whoops, guess I screamed too loud.


	36. Chapter 36

*Hope's POV*  
I stared down at the notebook I was writing in. It was a gloomy day in Doncaster, not anything out-of-the-ordinary lately. It had been stormy and gloomy since Louis got a new girlfriend. He probably thought nothing of it but, I think the weather is reflecting my emotions because lately I've been sad one minute and furious the next. Louis was my long-time crush and closest friend. The thought of him with some other girl shatters my heart but, around Louis, I'm totally happy for him. The thought brought millions of tears to my eyes. I was trying to write a song but, I was having trouble with the lyrics. I looked out my window and looked across the street at Louis house. I saw a car pull up in the driveway and Louis jumped out, I waved but, he didn't look at me. Instead, he ran over to the passenger side and opened the door, only for a beautiful girl step out. He held her hand and pulled her close. I shut my curtains before I could see anymore because I knew what he was gonna do. Tears followed out of my eyes and I finally started writing the lyrics.  
 **Lou looks at me,I**  
 **Fake a smile so he won't see**  
 **That I want, and I'm needin'**  
 **Everything that we should be**  
 **I'll bet she's beautiful**  
 **That girl he talks about**  
 **And she's got everything that I have to live without**  
 **Lou talks to me,I**  
 **Laugh cuz it's just soo funny**  
 **And I can't even see anyone when he's with me**  
 **He says he's soo in love**  
 **He's finally got it right**  
 **I wonder if he knows he's all I think about at night**  
 **And he's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar**  
 **The only thing that keeps me wishin' on a wishin' star**  
 **He's the song, in the car, I keep singin'**  
 **Don't know why I do**  
 **Lou walks by me**  
 **Can't he tell that I can't breathe?**  
 **And there he goes, soo perfectly**  
 **The kind of flawless I wish I could be**  
 **She better hold him tight**  
 **Give him all her love,**  
 **Look in those beautiful eyes**  
 **And know she's lucky cuz,**  
 **He's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar**  
 **The only one that keeps me wishin' on a wishin' star**  
 **He's the song, in the car, I keep singin'**  
 **Don't know why, I do**  
 **So, I drive home alone, as I turn out the lights**  
 **I'll put his picture down**  
 **And maybe get some sleep tonight**  
 **He's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar**  
 **The only one who's gotta enough of me to break my heart**  
 **He's the song in the car I keep singin'**  
 **Don't know why, I do**  
 **He's the time taken up, but there's never enough**  
 **And he's all that I need to fall into**  
 **Lou looks at me, I**  
 **Fake a smile so, he won't see.**  
I finish the song and I weakly smile at the lyrics, when I hear a knock at the door. I sigh and set the notebook down on the couch before, I walk up and answer it. "Hey Hope." Louis says. "Oh, hi Louis." I say leaning againist the door. "Can I come in?" he asks, curiosity filling his voice. "Ok." I say, opening the door. He walks in and sits down on the couch, right next to my open notebook. "Did you right a new song?" he asked. "Yeah, but, it's nothing." I say reaching for the notebook but, he beats me to it. "Teardrops On My Guitar? What's this about?" he asked before he reads the lyrics. His face turns a cute shade of pink before he asks, "Hope, is this about me?" I looked down, not answering his question, or at least not wanting too. "Hope, is this about me?" he persisted. "Yes." I mumble. He stands up, puts my notebook down, walks over to me, and puts his hands on my shoulders. "Why do you think that?" he asks. "Because...Louis I really really really love you." I say looking threated to start pouring out of my eyes and we stood there for a couple of minutes before Louis lifted up my chin and stared into my eyes. "Hope, y-you love me?" he asks me, staring deeply into my eyes. "Yes,Louis, I do." I say, tears flowing down my face. He stared at me some more before he slowly leaned in and placed his lips on mine.I stood there shocked before I realized what he was doing and kissed back. He slid his hands down to my waist and I put my arms around his neck. We pulled apart and he slowly smiles. "Louis, what was that?" I ask semi-laughing. "That was me trying not to be the reason for the teardrops on your guitar." he says smirking. I laughed at his lame quote, before I asked the question that was on my mind. "If you like me, then who was that I saw you help out of your car?" He looks at me for a minute before responding, "That was my sister, Charlotte. Who did you think it was?" he asks. "I thought it was your new girlfriend."I say. "Eleanor and I broke up and we weren't even together that long." he looks down at me and I smile. "Oh, well that's good." I say. "Why is that?" he asks. "Because that means you are all mine." I say putting emphasis on the word 'mine' before pulling him down for another kiss.


	37. Chapter 37

*Zayn's POV*  
I stared down at the song our management had given us. The song was entitled: Loved You First. At the sight of most lyrics made me think of her. I started thinking about everything we had done together for the past couple of months before she found herself a boyfriend. I know you're probably thinking how could she have another boyfriend if she's dating you? Well, we weren't exactly dating, although I wanted to be but, she only saw me as a best friend. Which we were, but that wasn't enough for me. I just wish she could see that I wanted to be more than that, but she didn't. Hence the need for her boyfriend, Jacob.  
 _Girl it should be me, driving to your house_  
 _Knocking on your door, kissing you on the mouth_  
 _Holding on your hand, dancing in the dark_  
 _'Cos I was the only one who loved you from the start_  
 _But now when I see you with him_  
 _It tears my world apart_  
I sigh and look around at the other boys and chuckle to myself. Louis was running around like an idiot, Liam yelling at him to stop, Harry flirting with fans on Twitter, and Niall practically eating everything we had in the fridge. I chuckle and look back down at the lyrics, remembering every single detail about her.  
 _Because I've been waiting_  
 _All this time to finally say it_  
 _But now I see your heart's been taken_  
 _And nothing could be worse_  
 _Baby I loved you first_  
 _Had my chances_  
 _Could have been where he is standing_  
 _That's what hurts the most_  
 _Girl I get so close but now you'll never know_  
 _Baby I loved you first_  
"You should really talk to her," someone above me said. I look up and Liam was standing above me. "How'd you know I was thinking of her again?" I ask. "Because I know you, Zayn. And I know your ALWAYS thinking of her," he replied. "So, what are you waiting for? Give her a call!" Then he walked away and I looked down at my phone, knowing she was one quick call away.  
 _Girl it should be me, calling on the phone_  
 _Saying you're the one and that I'll never let you go_  
 _I never understood what love was really like_  
 _But I felt it for the first time looking in your eyes_  
 _But now when I see you with him_  
 _My whole world falls apart_  
One ring. Two rings. Three rings. I was starting to get impatient when I hear her voice on the other end of the line. "Hello?" she asked. "Hey, it's me," I reply, smiling. "Define 'me'. Just kidding. I know it's you Zayn. So, how's it been going lately?" she says. "Well, there's something I've been meaning to ask you," I started.  
 _Because I've been waiting_  
 _All this time to finally say it_  
 _But now I see your heart's been taken_  
 _And nothing could be worse_  
 _Baby I loved you first_  
 _Had my chances_  
 _Could have been where he is standing_  
 _That's what hurts the most_  
 _Girl I get so close but now you'll never know_  
 _Baby I loved you first_  
"About what?" she asked me, clearly confused. "Well, would you maybe want to go on a date with me?" I manage to stutter out. She pauses before asking, "As friends?" "No," I immediately reply. She pauses again before answering, "Alright Zayn, I'll go out with you. But where do you want to meet?" I told her that I would pick her up in about an hour and hung up the phone.  
 _First touch, first kiss_  
 _First girl who made me feel like this_  
 _Heartbreak, it's killing me_  
 _I loved you first why can't you see_  
 _I've been waiting_  
 _All this time to finally say it_  
 _But now I see your heart's been taken_  
 _Nothing could be worse_  
*An hour later*  
I cautiously knocked on her down and shove my hands deep in my pockets. About three minutes later, she opens the door and step outside, tears streaming down her face. "Oh my God, what the heck happened in there?" I ask grabbing her shoulders. "J-J-J-J-J-Jacob br-br-broke up with m-me," she stuttered out. I wrapped my arms around her and told her everything was going to be ok. We sat and talked at the park for about three and a half hours.  
 _Baby I loved you first_  
 _Had my chances_  
 _Could have been where he is standing_  
 _That's what hurts the most_  
 _Girl I get so close but now you'll never know_  
 _Baby I loved you first_  
 _Baby I loved you first_  
 _Baby I loved you first_  
 _Oh yeah_  
I looked over at her and realized that she looked extremely beautiful the way the sun highlighted her features. I smiled and said, "Ya know, I loved you first. Before Jacob, before anyone." She didn't respond, but I didn't expect her to, because right then and there, I kissed her.  
 _Baby I loved you first_


	38. Chapter 38

_**I don't think that passenger seat**_  
 _ **has ever looked this good to me**_  
 _ **He tells me about his night**_  
 _ **and I count the colors in his eyes**_  
As I sat next to the blue eyed blonde in his green Chrysler 300 (don't blame me if that doesn't exist I don't know cars…). I stared at him. The way his dyed blonde hair flipped to the side perfectly and the way his blue eyes glistened in the sun light. I wanted to tell him… I really did! But, there was that little glimmer of doubt in my mind that he would laugh, tell me to get lost, or tell everyone what a stalker I was. No, I couldn't tell him… no way.  
 _ **He'll never fall in love he swears**_  
 _ **as he runs his fingers through his hair**_  
 _ **I'm laughing cause I hope he's wrong**_  
 _ **I don't think it ever crossed his mind**_  
 _ **He tells a joke I fake a smile**_  
 _ **that I know all his favorite songs**_  
I looked down as he placed the hand that wasn't on the wheel on my jean-covered thigh.  
"You ok?" He asked, in his adorable Irish accent.  
"Um… yeah… totally fine," I lied.  
He smiled at me one last time before returning his gaze back on the road. Why couldn't he just see that I loved him? Why? I knew all his favorite songs! I knew things his band mates didn't even know about him! I knew he sometimes argued with the people he loved because he feels abandoned! I was there when the pigeon attacked him! Why couldn't he just REALIZE I loved him?! Why?  
 _ **And I could tell you his favorite color's green**_  
 _ **He loves to argue, born on the seventeenth**_  
 _ **His sister's beautiful, he has his father's eyes**_  
 _ **and if you asked me if I love him,**_  
 _ **I'd lie**_  
"So, do you like him or not?" Niall's little sister asked me.  
 _'Yes.'_ "No," I said.  
"That's a shame," she said, "he's crazy about you." Then she hung up.  
 _'Yeah, right'_ I thought bitterly. But, I couldn't help but think that maybe he does.  
 _ **He looks around the room,**_  
 _ **innocently overlooks the truth.**_  
 _ **Shouldn't a light go on?**_  
 _ **Doesn't he know that I've had him memorized for so long?**_  
 _ **He sees everything black and white**_  
 _ **never let nobody see him cry**_  
 _ **I don't let nobody see me wishing he was mine**_  
I ran. I don't where I was running to or WHO I was running to. All I knew was that my heart was shattered and who I was running FROM.  
 _ **And I could tell you his favorite color's green**_  
 _ **He loves to argue, born on the seventeenth**_  
 _ **His sister's beautiful, he has his father's eyes**_  
 _ **and if you asked me if I love him,**_  
 _ **I'd lie**_  
I collapsed on the ground from exhaustion. _'Some boyfriend,'_ I thought bitterly. There was only one person who could make me feel better in this sort of situation, but he was away on tour in some foreign country that I didn't bother remembering the name of.  
 _ **He stands there then walks away**_  
 _ **my god if I could only say**_  
 _ **I'm holding every breath for you...**_  
 ***Niall's POV***  
We were on our way back to the hotel when my notification ringtone blasted.  
"Who is it?" An overly-eager Louis asked me.  
"Let me check," I replied unlocking my phone.  
It was a Facebook notification. I opened it up and read it. Alexis had just updated her status from 'In a Relationship' to 'Single and Broken Hearted'.  
"Oh, no," I said staring at my phone.  
"What happened Niall?" Liam asked looking over my shoulder as our car pulled up to the curb.  
"You guys go on ahead," I said as we started getting out of the car, "I have a phone call to make."  
 _ **He'd never tell you but he can play guitar**_  
 _ **I think he can see through everything**_  
 _ **But my heart**_  
 _ **First thought when I wake up is**_  
 _ **My god he's beautiful**_  
 _ **So I put on my make-up**_  
 _ **And pray for a miracle**_  
 ***Alexis's POV***  
I stared at my newly updated status as I think back to the events that just happened. Then I looked around to see where I was. I was at the spot. OUR spot. Mine and Niall's. Whenever one of us was down we would come to this spot and text or call the other one to come down here. But, this time… Niall wouldn't be coming anytime soon.  
 _ **Yes I could tell you his favorite color's green**_  
 _ **He loves to argue oh and it kills me**_  
 _ **His sisters beautiful he has his father's eyes**_  
 _ **And if you asked me if I love him**_  
 _ **If you asked me if I love him**_  
 _ **I'd lie**_  
I buried my head in my knees as I cried a little more. That's when my phone rang.  
"Hello?" I sniffed.  
"Alexis?" Niall asked.  
"Yeah?" I asked.  
"I love you." 


	39. Chapter 39

As I stepped out on the X-Factor stage I felt on top of the world. I felt like I was going to win this; like I had this in the bag. There were only three other contestants left (not including me). Matt Cardle, Rebecca Ferguson, and One Direction. I've actually talked to the contestants during our time here and I briefly roomed with Rebecca for a couple of weeks and she's really nice. Matt's cool and he writes funny parodies of songs which always made me laugh. But, I could not STAND One Direction. They were the biggest jerks that I have ever met. Louis is arrogant, Zayn is completely and utterly vain, Niall threw an old apple at me, Harry pushed me into a pool RIGHT before that week's show, and Liam… Well, Liam just glares at me from a distance. Bottom line was; I wanted to beat these boys. BAD. I heard the music starting and I waited for my cue.  
"Does he tell you he loves you when you least expect it?  
Does he flutter your heart when he kisses your neck?  
No scientist or biology  
It's obvious when he's holding me  
It's only natural that I'm so affected

And my heart won't beat again  
If I can't feel him in my veins  
No need to question, I already know

It's in his DNA  
D-D-D-DNA  
It's in his DNA  
And he just takes my breath away  
B-b-b-breath away  
I feel it every day,  
And that's what makes a man  
Not hard to understand  
Perfect in every way  
I see it in his face  
Nothing more to say  
It's in his D-D-D-DNA

It's the blue in his eyes that helps me see the future  
Fingerprints that leave me covered for days, yeah, hey, yeah  
Now I don't have any first degree  
But I know, what he does to me  
No need to work it out, it's so familiar, oh

And my heart won't beat again  
If I can't feel him in my veins  
No need to question, I already know

It's in his DNA  
D-D-D-DNA  
It's in his DNA  
And he just takes my breath away  
B-b-b-breath away  
I feel it every day,  
And that's what makes a man  
Not hard to understand  
Perfect in every way  
I see it in his face  
Nothing more to say  
It's in his D-D-D-DNA"

As I took a brief break in the song, I took the risk in looking over on the side of the stage. Rebecca was smiling and she mouthed 'You're doing great!', Matt gave me a simple thumbs up, Louis was shaking his head, Niall was eating, Zayn was looking in a mirror, Harry was mouthing 'You suck!', and Liam was just staring at me… I will admit that creeped me out a little because it wasn't a mean stare or a judging stare it was almost like… A loving stare. I shook my head as I returned my gaze to the judges. I began to sing again.

"It's all about his kiss  
Contaminates my lips  
Our energy connects  
It's simple genetics  
I'm the X to his Y  
It's the color of his eyes  
He can do no wrong  
No, he don't need to try  
Made from the best  
He passes all the tests  
Got my heart beating fast  
It's cardiac arrest  
He's from a different strain  
That science can't explain  
I guess that's how he's made  
In his D-D-D-DNA

Ahh, Ahh, Ahh, oooh

It's in his DNA  
D-D-D-DNA  
It's in his DNA  
And he just takes my breath away  
B-b-b-breath away  
I feel it every day,  
And that's what makes a man (what makes a man)  
Not hard to understand (to understand)  
Perfect in every way (in every way)  
I see it in his face (in his face)  
Nothing more to say (nothing more to say)  
It's in his D-D-D-DNA"

As I finished the song the judges complimented me on my singing like they always do (NOTE: I DO NOT KNOW IF THE X-FACTOR UK JUDGES ACTUALLY DO THIS OR NOT BUT IF THEY DON'T THEN THEY JUST WILL IN THIS ONE SHOT) and I smiled and thanked them like I always did. As I walked off the stage I received many compliments from Rebecca, Matt, and out backstage crew. I felt a tap on my shoulder and I turned around to face the one and only One Direction.  
Louis smirked. "You call THAT singing?"  
Harry laughed, "I'm surprised they haven't eliminated you yet."  
Zayn and Louis joined in on Harry's laughter while Niall just stood there awkwardly because he was never one to make fun of anyone, as for APPLE throwing… That's obviously a different story. I couldn't think of anything original to say back to them, so I simply glared. I felt something being slipped into my back pocket and turned around to catch the culprit. But there was no one there.  
"Looking for something?" Liam suddenly said with a harsh tone.  
I looked back confused and thought, _'Was he there before?'_  
I was about to respond but then they were called on stage and I stood there dumbfounded. I quickly shook of my daze and reach into my back pocket and pull out the piece of paper that a mystery stranger had given me. It read:

 _Meet me by the pool at midnight. Don't be late._  
 _X_

I furrowed my eyebrows briefly, and then shrugged, deciding it was a good idea.

 ***FAST FORWARD TO MIDNIGHT***

I stood by the pool in a sweatshirt and sweatpants in the freezing cold London air. I looked around to find the person I was supposed to meet and in the process I almost fell into the pool. I screamed in fear of drowning when I opened my eyes I was still dry and still above the pool.  
"Careful there love," a male voice with a smooth British accent said.  
The stranger pulls me up and lets go of my waist. I turn around only to find Liam Payne standing there.  
"Why did you save me?" I ask dumfounded.  
He doesn't answer verbally but simply shrugs instead. I stare confused at him as to why he wanted to meet me here.  
I suddenly glared at him. "Which one of them put you up to this? Are they here watching us? I KNOW YOU'RE HERE LOUIS!" I shout.  
He suddenly clamps his hand over my mouth. "They don't know about this, but if you keep shouting they will!"  
My eyes widen and he realizes that his hand is still on my mouth and he removes his hand and looks down and blushes.  
"Why are you blushing?" I ask stupidly.  
He looks up at me but doesn't say anything; instead he covers my moth with his lips and wraps his arms around my waist.  
I stand there for a couple of seconds before I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him back. He suddenly pulls back, but he leaves his arms around my waist.  
"I thought you hated me." I mutter breathlessly.  
"Well, you thought wrong." He says before kissing me passionately. 


	40. Chapter 40

_**In the beginning**_  
 _ **I never thought it would be you**_  
 _ **when we were chilling**_  
 _ **Smiling in the photo booth**_  
 _ **but we got closer (yeah)**_  
 _ **soon you were eating off my spoon**_  
 _ **you're coming over**_  
 _ **and we would talk all afternoon**_  
Today was my first date with Niall. Nothing fancy… Just a date at the mall. But I was extremely nervous because I had known Niall since I was seven and we were always best friends. My best friend was helping me pick an outfit out.  
"How about this?" She asks holding up a pink sparkly top and an extremely short white miniskirt.  
"When the hell would I ever where that?" I counter with a disgusted look on my face.  
She glares at me. "Karen. Don't cuss at me young one." She warns shaking her finger.  
"I'm five months older than you!" I exclaim throwing my arms out. "Here how about I just wear this?" I ask holding up a black lace peplum shirt and a pair of white shorts.  
( cgi/set?id=89633...)  
"It's cute, not too fancy…" She said pondering the simple outfit I had picked out. "It'll do."  
I glared at her but took that as a yes and stomped off into my closet to change.  
When I came out she motioned for me to spin. So, I held my arms out and spun in a small circle and then turned to look at her.  
"Well?" I asked bitterly seeing as I had to leave soon.  
"It's cute but it needs something," she decided.  
"Oh my God! I don't fucking have time for this!" I yelled.  
She glared at me and I glared back. She then grabbed a sparkly belt and strapped in around my waist.  
I was about to pull on my black Converse high tops when she stopped me.  
"You can't wear those old things on a date!"  
"Why not?"  
"Because they clash with your shirt! You need something classier!"  
I stopped for a moment putting down my Converse. Then smirking I went into my closet and dug out my black combat boots. Cramming them on my feet, I strutted out grabbing my purse and turning around for one last look at her.  
"Now if you wanna argue… You're going to make me late… Then I'm going to HAVE to kill you." I smirked and left.

 ***FAST FORWARD TO THE DATE***

 _ **Tonight we'll just get drunk**_  
 _ **Disturb the peace**_  
 _ **Bind your hands all over me**_  
 _ **and then you bite your lip**_  
 _ **Whisper and say, "We're going all the way."**_

Our date has started half an hour ago and we had already been to half of the stores in the mall, ate dinner in the food court, and taken photos in the cheesy photo booth.  
"This was fun," Niall said.  
"Aw… Does that mean it's over?" I whined.  
"It doesn't have to be…" he shrugged.  
My eyes lit up. "Wanna go back to my place and watch a movie? We can be as loud as we want… My parents are gone for the weekend."  
He smirked. "Let's go get us a movie."

 ***FAST FORWARD***

I changed into a light blue tank top and my black Aeropostale sweat pants. I had picked out the movie Inception and Niall was making popcorn in the kitchen.  
(If you want the link for the outfit you'll have to message me)  
We popped in the movie and sat down to watch.

 ***FAST FORWARD TO AFTER THE MOVIE***

 _ **This could be perfect (Yeah)**_  
 _ **But we won't know unless we try (try)**_  
 _ **I know you're nervous**_  
 _ **So just sit back and let me drive**_

 _ **Tonight we'll just get drunk**_  
 _ **Disturb the peace**_  
 _ **Find your hands all over me**_  
 _ **And then you bite your lip**_  
 _ **Whisper and say, "We're going all the way."**_

I stand up, stretch, and then take the movie out. I look over at Niall who's stuffing his face on his third bowl of popcorn.  
"So I guess this is the end of our first date huh?" I ask.  
Niall suddenly looks up and smirks.  
"Who said it was over?"  
I gasp as he suddenly grabs me and carries me bridal style up to my room. 

He gently laid me down and started kissing me oh-so-sweetly.  
"Wait," I manage to get out.  
"What?" he breathes in a deep, yet sexy, voice.  
I bite my lip. "We're going all the way aren't we?"  
He smiles sweetly. "Only if you want to."  
I smirked and grabbed his neck pulling him down for another kiss.  
 _'I'll take that as a yes,'_ Niall thought.

 _ **Tonight,**_  
 _ **Take me to the other side**_  
 _ **Sparks fly like the Fourth of July (yes, we do, yeah)**_  
 _ **Just take me to the other side (take me, baby)**_  
 _ **I see that sexy look in your eyes**_  
 _ **And I know we ain't friends anymore (oh, no)**_  
 _ **If we walk down this road**_  
 _ **We'll be lovers for sure**_  
 _ **So tonight (so tonight) kiss me like it's do or die (kiss me, kiss me)**_  
 _ **And take me to the other side**_

 _ **(Whoa)**_  
 _ **Take me to the other side**_  
 _ **(Whoa)**_  
 _ **And take me to the other side**_  
 _ **(Whoa)**_  
 _ **Kiss me like it's do or die**_  
 _ **(Whoa)**_  
 _ **And take me to the other side**_  
 _ **(Jason Derulo)**_


	41. Chapter 41

**(Niall's POV)**  
 _ **Her name is Noel**_  
 _ **I have a dream about her**_  
 _ **She rings my bell**_  
 _ **I got gym class in half an hour**_  
 _ **Oh, how she rocks**_  
 _ **In Keds and tube socks**_  
 _ **But she doesn't know who I am**_  
 _ **And she doesn't give a damn about me**_  
I stared at her from across the hall. She was gorgeous and her laugh was flawless. _'It's hopeless,'_ I told myself, _'she'll never love you. And if there's the slightest possibility that she would, it will never be as much as you love her.'_ I sighed at the reality of what I told myself. It was true, she wouldn't. I would be surprised if she even knew I existed.  
 _ **'Cause I'm just a teenage dirtbag baby**_  
 _ **Yeah, I'm just a teenage dirtbag baby**_  
 _ **Listen to Iron Maiden maybe with me**_

 _ **Her boyfriend's a dick**_  
 _ **And he brings a gun to school**_  
 _ **And he'd simply kick**_  
 _ **My ass if he knew the truth**_  
 _ **He lives on my block**_  
 _ **And he drives an IROC**_  
 _ **But he doesn't know who I am**_  
 _ **And he doesn't give a damn about me**_  
As I shut my locker I turned to head to my next class, which happened to be gym class. As I started walking to the locker room to get changed, I was shoved down on the floor. Disgusted (and about to say something), I looked up and saw her boyfriend, Zack.  
"Watch where you're going loser," he spits at me.  
Sarah looks at me and I could tell her eyes were saying, _'Oh my gosh! Are you okay?'_ But, she remained silent.  
I slowly stood up after grabbing my books. I chose not to respond to Zack, knowing good and well he could kick my ass if he felt like it. I also felt something brush my arm as I made my way to the locker room.  
 _ **'Cause I'm just a teenage dirtbag, baby**_  
 _ **Yeah, I'm just a teenage dirtbag, baby**_  
 _ **Listen to Iron Maiden maybe with me**_

 _ **Oh, yeah, dirtbag, no, she doesn't know what she's missin'**_  
 _ **Oh, yeah, dirtbag, no, she doesn't know what she's missin'**_  
 _ **Man, I feel like mold**_  
 _ **It's prom night and I am lonely**_  
 _ **Low and behold**_  
 _ **She's walking over to me**_  
 _ **this must be fake**_  
 _ **my lip starts to shake**_  
 _ **How does she know who I am?**_  
 _ **And why does she give a damn about me**_  
 ***** **FAST FORWARD TO PROM NIGHT** *****  
I don't know why I came to prom, honestly I don't! My friends were at home playing video games, I didn't have a date, and I was basically alone. Since that day when Zack shoved me down in the hallway, Sarah and he had a horrible breakup. As far as I knew, she was here alone too. _'Huh,'_ I thought, _'she's alone too.'_ I flashed a crooked grin and began searching the gym for her.  
 _ **I've got two tickets to Iron Maiden, baby**_  
 _ **Come with me Friday, don't say "maybe"**_  
 _ **I'm just a teenage dirtbag, baby, like you**_  
I felt a tap on my shoulder and briefly paused my search to see what the hell this person wanted. When I turned around I was met with beautiful brown curls and gorgeous blue eyes.  
"Hey, it's Niall right?" Sarah asked me.  
"Yeah," I breathlessly say.  
She smiles at me and before she can continue I ask, "Would you like to dance?"  
"I'd love to," she tells me.  
 _ **Oh, yeah, dirtbag, no, she doesn't know what she's missin'**_  
 _ **Oh, yeah, dirtbag, no, she doesn't know what she's missin'**_


	42. Chapter 42

**(Estelle's POV)**  
I knew that he was off limits. He was a punk. He was a troublemaker. He skipped class daily. But, despite all of the horrible rumors that were spread around I still wanted him. I, unlike everyone else, didn't see all the bad things. I knew he skipped class because he would ask to go to the bathroom and he would never come back.  
"Estelle! Are you thinking about _him_ again?!" my friend yelled at me at lunch. The way she said his name made me mad. Like he was so bad we couldn't even say his name.  
"What difference does it make to you?" I grumbled back.  
"He's NO GOOD. He skips EVERY CLASS. He's a TROUBLEMAKER. HE'S NO GOOD!" She yelled again.  
I glared at her. I knew all this stuff. She made a point to tell me every day since she found out I liked him. Okay, HE had a name. It was Zayn and in some language I can't remember, it meant beautiful. I believed it. In my eyes he was beautiful, he was gorgeous.  
She smirked thinking she had won.  
"You know what?" I spat at her, "I'm not going to put up with this anymore. How would you like it if I picked out every little thing your boyfriend did wrong? Huh?!"  
"Well that wouldn't happen because my boyfriend isn't a juvenile," she smirked again.  
I stood up, and grabbing my tray, I dumped it and stormed out.  
As I was stomping down the hall, I heard footsteps behind me, but I chose to ignore them, assuming it was another freshman wanting my number and honestly I was planning on giving them Savannah's because she was being such a bitch. When the footsteps didn't stop, I turned around and said, "Do you fucking mind you dumb ass freshman?! I'm not in the fucking mood!"  
"So now I'm a freshman? I could've sworn I was a junior like you," he said.  
I gasped. "Zayn?"  
"That's the name," he smirked.  
"Why were you following me?" I asked.  
"You looked upset," he shrugged, "I do have a heart despite what they say you know."  
"I-"  
"I know what you're thinking. I'm a bastard. I'm a troublemaker. I'm a player. I'm-"  
"None of the above," I say.  
 ***** **FAST FORWARD FIVE YEARS** *****  
"Shh… Leah… Please stop crying," I plead bouncing our little baby girl Leah up and down in my arms.  
I sigh when she finally calms down and I can lay her down for her nap. I started to clean up the toys she had thrown everywhere, when I heard a key untwisting the lock on our front door.  
"Estelle? You in?" A males' voice calls.  
"In the living room babe," I call back.  
I continue picking up toys as I hear him put his stuff down, take his coat off, and come walking into the living room where I was. I could hear him coming closer and help me pick up Leah's toys. When we finished, we sat on the couch snuggled in each other's arms.  
"I think we're doing a pretty good job," he says, "dontcha think?"  
"Yeah Zayn, we are," I say and kiss his lips.


	43. Chapter 43

I pounded on the door of Louis Tomlinson's house, standing in the freezing cold weather of London. My breath became visible every time I the air escaped my mouth in the frosty weather. "Lou, it's freezing out here! Please, open it!" I huffed. Snuggling the crimson-red coat around my body, I was greeted by Louis and Liam. "Hey guys. About time." I smiled and shoved my coat in Liam's hands, grinning.

"Well, aren't you a nice friend, then." He shut the door and carefully placed my coat on the white leather couch. I gave him a hug, followed by Louis.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked,popping open my bottle of water and taking a sip from it. As Liam was answering, I put my beige handbag on the floor.

"They're on their way. Niall, Harry and Zayn decided to travel together. Everyone else should be coming soon." Liam informed me, running his fingers through his brown hair.

I nodded. "Oh." I grabbed a chip from the snack table, throwing it in my mouth. It was Louis' birthday yesterday, and he decided to throw a party today considering it was a Saturday. The door opened, and Liam's girlfriend Danielle walked in.

"Hey!" She smiled and hugged Louis. "Happy Birthday!" She handed him a rather large present, then walked over to Liam to give him a kiss. He blushed, and I giggled.

"Hey Danielle!" I grinned. She returned the hello, and smiled at me. While Liam and Danielle had a chat, Louis walked over to me.

"Hey, uh- Becca? I, um..." I smiled at him, waiting for him to continue. Just at that moment, Harry burst through the open window, doing an army roll.

"WHERE'S THE BIRTHDAY GIRL?" He grinned, and sped up to Louis. "Happy Birthday, mate." Harry handed Louis a neatly wrapped square shaped present, and Louis laughed.

"Thanks." He looked around for Niall and Zayn, spotting them walking in. They greeted each other, and about an hour later, there was over 300 people here. Wow.

The atmosphere was amazing, Louis had really outdone himself. He had taped cellophane over the ceiling lights, making them shine a ray of different colors when turned on, which looked amazing! The floors were covered in millions of shiny sequins (my idea!) that sparkled under the light. When you turned the music player on, speakers from all around the house blasted the tunes, making you feel like you were getting a live performance from the singer. It was great!

As I was admiring the house in awe, Louis came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. I whirled around and smiled. "Hey Louis. Great job on the house! It looks amazing!" His mouth curled up in a smile, and he waved his hand in the air.

"Nahh, it was nothing." We both giggled. "So, um, Becca, would you like to-" Louis was shocked when Harry waltzed in between me and Louis, and held his hand out toward me.

"Dance?" He smirked at me, and I laughed, completely forgetting about Louis.

"Of course Harry!" Even though I didn't really have a thing for Harry, I blushed, almost as red as my hair, and took his hand as we walked to the middle of the dancefloor.

"Hey, uh, DJ? Could you play something a little slower?" He looked at me, his bright blue eyes sparkling. He twined his fingers between mine and looked in my eyes. "Your beautiful." He whispered to me, and heart started beating fast. I looked down, my hair falling down either side. He pulled my body closer to his, and put his hands on my waist. I beamed, and put my hands around his neck. For this moment, I felt special. I hadn't had a boyfriend in so long, and if I didn't know any better, it looked like Harry liked me! The music started and we swayed softly to the beat. "Your a great dancer." He said to me. I had to laugh at that.

"I am so not!" I retorted. "I swear I have two left feet!" Harry chuckled.

"Well, I think your amazing." He smiled, and the song finished. "Uh, I really, really want to do this."

"Wha-" I was cut off by Harry's lips on mine. It was weird, but I didn't feel anything when I kissed him. I mean, I thought I liked him. But something was telling me not to.

We pulled away, and I looked straight at his eyes. They were glimmering, staring right into my heart. I sighed, but looked up at him and smiled.

"Thanks for the dance Harry." I giggled.

"No, thankyou." He winked at me, and threw me a flirty smile. As he walked away, I jumped as my phone buzzed. I whipped it out and looked at the text.

'To Bella  
I like you3'

I raised my eyebrows, and my face felt flushed. He liked me? He is adorable! I'll just wait a while and then confront him. I danced for a bit, and then grew tired. I'm not very athletic, and dancing too much makes me tired. I grabbed a can of soda from the table and cracked it open. The liquid felt cool in my burning mouth.

"Rebecca!" Niall yelled from across the room. I waved at him, and he walked over. "Someone forgot to say hello to me!" I grinned and gave him a hug.

"I'm sorry. I just got flirted with from Harry." My face reddened a little as I said it. Niall's smile drooped.

"Did he tell you he liked you?" I nodded in response. He sighed. "Oh no, Becc. Harry... Harry's not a nice boyfriend." I shook my head in confusion.

"What do you mean?" He grabbed my wrist and took me next to the staircase. To my horror, a girl who looked faintly familiar, and Harry, were standing under the staircase, making out!

"HARRY!" I screamed in anger. Tears stung my eyes, my body feeling weak. I wiped the water away from my eyes before they could escape. Harry was my best friend, how could he do this to me? First flirt with me, and then lie? I felt depressed, angry and worst of all, betrayed.

I ran outside, finally letting the teardrops fall. I knew Harry's house like the back of my hand, and ran up our little tree house fort we made when we were 6. I know I'm so emotional, but I really started to like Harry. And to find out he uses girls like that? It's terrible! I sat in the corner, taking shaky breaths. I heard footsteps climbing up the creaky ladder and I fumed. "Go away!" I yelled, but it only came out a constricted whisper.

"It's just me Becca." I heard a voice whisper back.

"Louis?" I asked to the voice, and I saw his face pop up in the doorway.

"Hey, are you okay? Niall told me what happened." He made his way up and sat next to me.

"Harry's a jerk." I sniffed, wiping my eyes another time. Louis nodded and gently moved the hair off of my face.

"Nah, he's cool. But when it comes to girls, he's an idiot." Louis put on a goofy grin and I laughed. "You know, you deserve better Beccanator." I grimaced at the nickname, but he continued anyway. "Your beautiful, and smart, funny, cool and amazing..." He looked at me, with a glimmer of seriousness in his usually joking eyes. "And I really like you." My eyes widened.

"What?" I asked again, surprised.

He laughed. "Don't worry, I won't go kissing other girls like Harry. But I do want to kiss you." Louis looked at me, his eyes full of hope. I glanced around his face, looking for signs of a prank, or joke. But nothing, all I saw was love. Louis actually liked me. And I could see it.

"You want to kiss me?" I asked. "You know, I'm not exactly the prettiest girl alive." I laughed, but he nodded his head.

"You are. Your the most beautiful girl ever." He grinned, his perfect white teeth shining. He was just about to kiss me, but I stopped him.

"I can't believe it. I just realised I forgot your birthday present!" I winced, filled with guilt. His face relaxed, and his mouth turned into a smile.

"No actually, you didn't." And he leaned in for his birthday kiss.


	44. Chapter 44

"Hey Hannah, make sure you don't burn those brownies." Niall reminded me for the 30th time, making me clench my jaw in irritation.

"Yes, Niall, sweet brother. I know." I exhaled, and moved to the kitchen to check on the brownies. "They look fine." I mumbled to myself, and quickly threw on oven mitts to protect my hands. I cautiously removed the tray of the fine dessert out of the oven and placed it onto the table. Phew, that oven was hot! I took off the oven mitts and peeked my head out of the door way dividing the living room and the kitchen. "The brownies are ready Niall!" I informed him, and he raced up, excited to taste my amazing brownies.

He took his first bite, and grinned. "These are amazing!" He happily took another bite, and I beamed with pride. "The boys are gonna love these!"

"When is everyone getting here?" I asked, taking a bite of a brownie. Wow, these are good!

"Uh... in about an hour, I think." He replied, reaching for another piece. I walked into the hallway, about to go in my room.

"Make sure you guys don't make so much noise! I'm studying!" I sighed and shut the door loudly, flopping onto my bed. I lazily grabbed my Science Text Book from the bedside table and whipped it open. I coughed as some dust fell out, and then I sat up. I rolled my eyes at the information and thought that I would so rather be watching a movie with the guys than be studying. But Niall said to stay away. Pssh. I decided to, instead of studying, do my hair and my makeup, just as a silly thing.

I brushed my strawberry blonde hair back, bringing it to the right of my head. I made a messy, cute, side braid and added a little bow to secure it. I did my makeup, outlining my hazel eyes in some soft black eyeliner (not too much), and brushed on some beige eyeshadow, then quickly applied some lipgloss. I stepped back from the mirror to admire my work, and admitted I looked pretty good. I smiled at myself, and then looked at the time. An hour?! Wow, that's weird. I shrugged and heard a car pull up outside. I walked into the living room, and looked at Niall, who was sitting on the couch eating a sandwich. Oh, my over-eating brother.

"Is that them?" I asked, sitting next to Niall. He looked at me, and smiled.

"Don't you look pretty, today!" He grinned, and ruffled my hair. I rolled my eyes and smoothed my hair back down.

"I was just messing around." I added.

Niall pushed me slightly off the couch. "Get the door Hannah. And stay in your room, we're watching a movie."

I huffed, stood up and walked to the door. I opened it gently (despite my anger) and saw Harry, Louis, Liam and Zayn. "Hey guys. Come in, come in." I opened the door widely and let them walk through.

"Hey Hannah." Louis looked at me, smiling, and as he saw me, his mouth slightly opened.

"Hi Louis..." I looked at him strangely, and then shut the front door. I walked into the Living Room and clapped my hands, watching all the boys. "Okay, you guys will be quiet, while I go in my room and study. 'Kay?" I grinned sweetly, and walked to my room. Just as I was about to close the door, I yelled "I MEAN IT!"

Niall leaned back, putting his hands behind his head. "And let the movie begin." He clicked a button on the remote, and the TV screen lit up, but he quickly paused it. "I'm just gonna go get Hannah's brownies!" He whispered, and crept up into the kitchen. Liam coughed.

"What movie are we watching again?" He asked, leaning over to Louis.

"What?" Louis' mind was elsewhere. All he could think about was Hannah, his best friends sister for goodness sakes! His head turned towards Louis. "What was the question?"

Liam laughed. "Okay then. I asked, what movie are we watching?" Louis answered answered with 'It', the famous Stephen King novel-based movie.

Liam frowned. "Clowns?" He slumped back in his seat on the couch.

Niall quickly returned, and the movie started to play.

Zayn whispered to Louis. "Who picked the movie this time?" He asked, shoving a brownie in his mouth.

"Uh... Niall, I think." Louis hit his head about three times with his hands, trying to get Hannah out of his head. He knew there was no point in doing this, but he thought it might distract him.

"Hey, mate, you okay?" Harry asked quietly, looking at Louis.

"I'm fine, fine." He leaned back, and watched the movie. It was actually quite interesting, too bad Louis couldn't concentrate.

"Can one of you guys go check on Hannah? She's been awfully quiet. I'm just going to go take these brownies into the kitchen." He grabbed the tray and walked into the kitchen. Louis jumped up and offered.

"I will! Be right back!" He ran into Hannah's room and smiled. No wonder she was being quiet, she was sleeping.

I murmured and opened my eyes slowly. And then screamed a very shrill scream. "LOUIS!" I yelled, throwing a pillow at him. Niall burst into my room.

"What's wrong!?" Niall exclaimed, panicking.

"Louis was watching me sleep!" I folded my arms and sneered at Louis. His eyes widened and he gasped.

Louis dropped the pillow. "I was not! I came in here to check on you, we thought something was wrong!" Louis looked angry. My face dropped in guilt.

"Lou, I'm so sorry..." I gave him a hug, and sighed. I took a step back and looked at Niall. "You guys go watch the movie, I'll stay here." Louis looked at Niall, and shrugged.

"No, come with us. We only started the movie about a half hour ago." Louis offered. I frowned.

"Aren't you mad at me?" She asked.

Louis chuckled. "No way! Come on." He grinned, putting his arm around my shoulder and taking me into the living room.

"Finally! What happened?" Harry jumped up, and looked at me. I smiled at him, and he sat back down. "So, she's okay?" Everyone nodded and Liam sighed.

"Can we just watch the movie now?" He asked in exasparation, and I laughed. I sat down cosily next to my brother, and he played the movie.

I screamed at various parts, and almost puked in others. "Niall, why are we watching this!?" I yelled in a whisper. Niall laughed, and poked me.

"It's a good movie!" Niall convinced me, and I continued watching. I noticed Louis watching me the whole time. It was kinda creepy, until I realised something. Louis was actually really cute. I coughed out loud, and tried to focus on the movie. Me and Louis had been best friends practically our whole lives. I don't like him! I almost laughed at the thought. There's no way.

"It's over?" I asked. "Psh, that was kinda stupid." I rolled my eyes, but actually felt my hands trembling. That was the most terrible movie I had ever watched!

Niall looked at me, and gave me a huge hug. "Aw! Your scared!" I looked up at him.

"Am not." I retorted, and then sighed. "Am so." I said, and squished my face into his chest. He laughed, and gently pushed me off his body.

"Come on, let's eat." He grinned, and clapped his hands in excitement. I giggled, and was about to follow him into the kitchen, when Louis grabbed my arm.

"Louis? What are you doing?" I asked. He smiled at me.

"Let's go to the park or something. I'm bored here!" I thought for a moment.

"It's raining, Lou. We can't." He smirked.

"Yeah, we can!" He grabbed my arm and we ran outside. I shrieked, and tried to cover my head with one hand. No success. The rain hit me hard, making me shiver as the drops cooled my skin.

"I'm getting wet!" I said to him, and we jumped onto his bike.

"Just enjoy it." He looked back at me from the front seat, and I removed my hand slowly. "Let's go!" He started to pedal and I laughed.

"Your weird Tomlinson!" I yelled happily.

"I know!" He yelled back.

We arrived at the park, the grass saturated. The sky was gloomy grey, and the clouds covered most. By the time we got there, my hair was soaking wet, and so was Louis'. He hopped off the bike, and started to run, kicking his legs in the air. He flailed his arms around, making a really big fool of himself.

"LOUIS!" I called to him, pretty much peeing myself of laughter. I jogged over to him, still laughing, and realised we were in the middle of the field. "What are we doing?" I smiled, and shrugged.

"Have fun, I guess!" He did a cartwheel, only to fail and fall over. I tried, and fell down next to him.

"Oh my god. I'm soaking." I chuckled, and Louis smiled.

"Hey Hannah?" I looked at him.

"Yeah?"

The rain was still pouring hard, beating against us, and my heart was thumping fast from the adrenaline when we were running. Louis looked like he was thinking for a moment. He smiled, and leaned in closer.

Louis kissed me. He kissed me. A trickle of warmth spread through my body, making me feel so happy, and safe. He put his hand on my face, and we continued kissing.

When we parted for air, I looked at him.

"What... what was that?" I was still overwhelmed from the suprise, and my heart was beating fast. And this time, I think it was because of Louis.

"A kiss. That's what people do when they really like each other. Well, I hope you like me..." He looked at me, and I melted.

I didn't feel this way about Louis before, but after spending some time with him in the park, something has definitely changed.

"Yes." I nodded.

"What?" He asked in surprise.

"Yes, I do like you back." He beamed and leaned closer. A crash of thunder made me jump.

"Best movie night ever." He whispered.


	45. Chapter 45

~Lauren's P.O.V.

"Give us more questions, people!" I grinned, biting into an oreo, watching the crumbs cascade into my lap. Niall laughed, stole an oreo from the packet and squinted to read the screen carefully.

"When's the wedding?" He repeated, blushing madly. I cracked up into laughter, choking on my oreo. I made a swishing motion with my hands to represent 'No', because all that was coming out of my mouth was coughing. Niall explained for me. "Laurens got a boyfriend, guys. We are not together. Just friends." He said, rather quickly, and I nodded in agreement.

"Yup." I managed to say after I had washed down the small crumbs lodged in my throat with some water. "What's his name? Niall?" The tweet appeared on the screen in an instant and I rolled my eyes. "Okay, my boyfriend is not Niall. My boyfriends name is Declan, and this is him." I flashed the camera with a photo of Declan, my blue eyed-dark haired beauty. "Do you believe me now?" I swished my auburn hair behind my shoulder, slipping the photo away back in my wallet.

In case you hadn't guessed, Niall and I were having a Twitcam at exactly 10:23 p.m. because we were extremely bored and it was one of the rare nights where the boys didn't have rehearsal. "Alrighty, we're going to get going now." Niall announced, waving. "Thanks for tuning in, we will try and do another one some other time." He smiled at the camera and quickly switched it off.

"That was fun." I chuckled and lifted myself off of the chair in front of the computer.

"Yeah." Niall agreed, treading into the kitchen to get more snacks. I giggled, and flopped down on the couch. "WE'RE OUT OF SNACKS!" Niall groaned from the kitchen, and I yelled back.

"Make some then, love." I flicked through the channels on the flat screen in the living room, hoping to find something decent on TV at this time. I settled on an old re-run of Friends.

He ran out of the kitchen, looking baffled. "You know how to cook?" He asked me. I shook my head.

"No... I thought you did." I replied, turning to him. He shrugged and grinned wickedly.

"Well, lets start baking and hope to God we don't burn the house down!" He dragged me off the couch as I lazed about.

"Fine." I mumbled, and searched through the cupboards for old recipe books. "Ooh, I found one!" I picked up the rather thick and musty book, slamming it on the counter. Niall leaned over my shoulder, peeking at the pages. The book had various instructions for desserts such as cookies, cakes, meringues, custards and more. We decided to bake a batch of Valentines Day cupcakes, even though the holiday was long gone.

"We need butter, sugar, eggs, milk and some other stuff." Niall exclaimed, opening the fridge. I nodded and searched through the food cupboard for the sugar. I turned around with an armful of sugar containers to find Niall staring at me.

"What?" I asked. He smiled slightly.

"Nothing, nothing." I knitted my brows together in a frown, then shrugged it off. I set the containers down on the table and then tied my sleek hair into a quick bun to keep it from getting into the food. Niall handed me a large bowl, and we chatted while throwing the ingredients into the bowl.

"Okay, I'm mixing first!" Niall said, and I gasped.

"Noooo, I already said I was!" I stole the spoon off of him and poked him with it. He was fast to grab another wooden spoon from the drawer and soon it turned into a spoon-sword fight. I scooped up some of the gloopy batter onto my spoon and spun around to see Niall had already done the same. I took a step back, Niall laughing.

"You wouldn't dare..." I kept my eyes on the spoon in Niall's hand and he nodded.

"I would Lauren. You know I would..." It all came so fast as he threw it at the front of my hoodie, dripping down onto the floor. My eyes widened and my head snapped up to his face.

"Oh that is it Niall Horan!" I threw the big blob into his hair and soon enough we were both in fits of laughter, covered in cupcake mix. "So much for baking a snack, then." We both walked into the living room, looking for some towels when I heard the front door open. I was puzzled, considering the other boys were all out for dinner and weren't due home for at least another hour. I saw Declan walk in, holding a bouqet of flowers. My heart fluttered.

"Declan!" I yelled, and ran up to hug him. He stopped me, putting a hand on my arm.

"Woah, woah woah!" He looked at the mess on my clothes and shook his head. Niall stood next to me now, staring at Declan. "I just got this shirt drycleaned, no stains for me, please!" He handed me the flowers and didn't even bother to say hi to Niall.

"I'll just wipe this up, then." I walked into my bedroom to find a towel.

~Niall's P.O.V.

Finally, alone with Declan. I know what he's been trying to do, and it's about time I confront him. "Listen, Declan, I know about your little secret." I sneered. He cackled.

"What the hell are you on about, Horan?"

"I know your cheating on Lauren." I hissed, and he clenched his jaw.

"Like your going to tell her." He smirked.

"Yeah, I am actually.. And there's nothing you can do about it, tough guy." I chuckled and he narrowed his eyes in anger.

"I'll give you tough guy then, buddy." He took a step back, and his right arm came flying at me, knocking me right in the eye. I wobbled a bit, trying to hold back the pain. I heard an echoey laugh, and his fist made connection with my eye again, and a stab of pain made me fall to the ground.

~Lauren's P.O.V.

I scrubbed the batter off of Niall's hoodie he had let me borrow, and muttered to myself. Declan was acting strange tonight. He's usually so much sweeter.

"Alright, I found a towel!" I raised my head to look at them, and screamed. Niall was laying on the floor, a giant bruise around his left eye. I was petrified as I ran over, leaning over his body. I could feel tears welling in my green eyes as I stood up to Declan. "What is wrong with you!?" I yelled in rage. His blue eyes widened in fear.

"No, listen, Lauren I can explain!" I threw the flowers at him and shook my head.

"Just leave, Declan. Now!" I grabbed my phone and with quavering hands I dialled Louis' number.

"Louis, you have to come home now. All of you." I pleaded.

"I can't Lauren. We're in the middle of dinner!" I started to sob, and he softened up. "What's wrong?" He asked.

I took a shaky breath. "It's Niall. Please, come quick!" I hung up after he agreed, and sat next to Niall. I took deep breaths, hoping he would be alright. I looked at his face and winced, seeing blood trickling down from around his eye. I took off my jumper and held it against his face as I thought about Declan. How could he do this? Why? I was startled by the unlocking of the front door, and Harry barging in.

"What happened?" He stared down at Niall and gaped. "Oh my god." For some reason, this made me cry even more, and I removed the clothing from his face, revealing the wound. I explained everything to the boys while Liam called the ambulance. I was shaking and I felt terrified. Louis pulled me into a hug and we sat on the couch together while I cried. I felt miserable. If I had never left, nothing would have happened and everything would have been fine. Everything happened in a blur as the ambulance arrived and I travelled with the guys to get there.

We all sat in the waiting room, anxious to find out any news. We knew he wasn't going to be seriously hurt, but we were still scared.

"Are you alright?" Harry took my hand and looked at me with his blue eyes. I smiled weakly and nodded.

"Yes. Thanks Hazza." I smiled and he returned the smile.

"Look I should probably tell you something." I looked at him. "Niall loves you, you know."

I nodded. "I know."

He shook his head. "No, he loves you." Harry put emphasis on the word love and I thought for a few minutes. He loved me?

"What does that mean?" I asked Harry, but he was looking up at a nurse.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" He nudged me and I looked up.

"Your allowed to go in and see ." She smiled warmly, and I got up, taking a deep breath. I walked into the white room, looking at all the machines. Niall was fine, and just had to get a few stitches above his eye. I sat next to him on the edge of the bed, and had a look around.

"How are you doing Niall?" I asked sympathetically, and he shrugged.

"I've been better." I giggled.

"Look, what was the fight even about?" Niall explained it to me, and I frowned. I can't believe Declan was cheating on me.

"I'm so sorry Lauren." I fought the tears that were trying to escape.

"I knew it." I whispered. "Can I have a hug please Niall? A Horan hug?" I sniffed, letting a tear roll down my cheek. He nodded, and I moved over as he sat up and gave me a huge hug. I sat in his arms for a few moments, crying into his shoulder.

I moved back and sat cross legged on the bed so I faced him. He leaned over to wipe my tears away, and I smiled softly.

"I don't know how Declan could cheat on you. He had the most amazing girl in the world, and he went and took advantage of her." I blushed and looked down.

"Aw, Niall..." I laughed, and nudged him playfully. He looked at me with his piercing blue eyes that made me blush even more.

"I love you." He said and I looked up. He closed his eyes. "I... I didn't mean to say that."

I leaned over and kissed him, letting him know how I felt. We pulled apart and I smiled. He laughed.

"Okay, well maybe I did mean to say that then." He grinned, and we shared another kiss, still in the hospital room.

I held his hand, feeling more ecstatic than ever. We talked for ages until I was told I had to go home.

"Bye Niall." I waved, and gave him one last goodbye kiss. I walked out of the room and saw Harry standing there.

"I told you he loved you." He grinned, and we walked out into the carpark.

"And we have a date for Nandos tomorrow night."

Harry rolled his eyes.

"That boy is obsessed with Nandos!" We both laughed.

"I know."


	46. Chapter 46

I couldn't sing. I couldn't dance. I couldn't play an instrunment. Hell, I couldn't even go, "La la la" in tune! So what the fuck was I doing here on the X-Factor UK? Supporting my best friend, of course.

Louis Tomlinson.

Energetic. Unnaturally gorgeous. Hyperactive. Amazing singer. Whacko. Carrot lover. Strong. Happy. Amazing.

There were so many adjectives that could be used to describe him. But if I sat here and told you every single thought I had about him, we'd be sitting here for about 13 years.

But anyways, like I was saying, I was sitting here, watching my best friend sit with his friends on a staircase, videotaping their ninth week on the X-Factor UK. I sat behind the camera, trying my hardest to not laugh at Louis acting like a nerd on camera. Suddenly, Niall leaned over and yelled quietly into the wall, "Help!" Louis' head shot up. "Did anyone hear that?" he asked urgently.

"Help!" Niall yelled quietly again. "Somebody needs help!" cried Louis, jumping up. He ripped open his shirt, revealing a blue Superman t-shirt underneath. "SUPERMAN IS HERE!"

I fell over trying not to laugh at him.

After the video, I hurried up the stairs after the boys. Suddenly, I was picked up and hung upside down by my ankles. "Look what I caught, lads! A little toy for us to play with!" "Liam, put the poor girl down!" laughed Harry, and I was soon set back on my feet.

Louis came out of the boys bathroom, this time wearing actual pants. Black jeans with TOMS. "Hey Superman!" I laughed. Suddenly, two arms locked around my waist. "She's mine now! Mwahahahaha!" Niall yelled, dragging me away from Louis. I feigned to struggle out of Niall's grip.

"NO!" screamed Louis. "SHE'S MINE!" Louis leaped at Niall and grabbed me, pulling me into him. "She's mine!" Louis yelled again. "Great video you guys!" I complimented the boys, turning my body so my back was against Louis' chest with his arms around my waist, "Why thank you, beautiful!" cried Harry, bowing to me.

"Lou!" I called, turning my head to look at him. "Where?" cried Louis, looking around with wide eyes. I playfully kickedhis leg. "Ow..." Louis put on his puppy dog face. "Lou..." I chuckled. "Yes?" Louis asked, putting his chin on my shoulder. "I have something for you..." I murmured, leaning my forehead against his temple.

"Awww, how cute! Little Abs got a gift for little Lou!" sighed Zayn dreamily. "Come on..." I laughed, grabbing Louis' hand and pulling him down the stairs and out into the X-Factor parking lot.

As I walked out of the door to the stage lot,I quickly got behind Louis and covered his eyes. "Oh god, Abby, what in the land of carrots is this about?" Louis asked. I paused, "In the land of carrots?" I asked, obviously confused. Louis shrugged. "Whatever!" I laughed, pushing him forward.

I was only 5"2, and Louis was 5"5, so I had to reach up a bit to cover his eyes. But I was able to do it if I walked onmy toes, which I did. Continuing our way around the stage lot, Louis was trying harder and harder to fight against me by holding his feet still. Louis was stronger than me, so it was quite hard to force against him.

"Louis!" I laughed as I approached a small wooden fence."Walk already!" I shoved Louis forward, and he stumbled. "Oh my god!" I cried as he flipped over the small fence. Louis laid there for a moment, and I crossed my arms, "Louis, get up!" I laughed. He didn't move. "Louis, come on, and get up! I have something to show you!" Louis still didn't move.

My eyes shot open wide and I leaped across the fence, getting down on my knees next to him. "Louis! Louis get up! Louis! Get up!" Tears threatened to fall over the rims of my eyes. "Louis!"I began to shake him, and he still didn't move. "Help!" I screamed to nobody. "Somebody help!"I scrambled up and ran towards the stage, screaming for Niall and Liam.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I sat on the floor of the hospital, leaning up against a wall outside of Louis' hospital room. My knees were tucked into my stomach, my arms wrapped around my legs. My throat hurt from screaming for help, and my face seemed to be permanantly stained with tears. I felt more slip down my cheeks, and I tucked myself into a tighter ball.

"Abby?" a voice asked quietly. I slowly looked up and saw Niall standing there, a pained expression reading across this face.

He sat down beside me, putting an arm comfortantly aroundmy shoulders, pulling me up against him. I turned buried my face into his chest, sobbing quietly into it. Niall put his chin on the top of my head. "Don't worry, Abby. It's okay... He's going to be fine... Louis' gonna be okay..."

Suddenly, the door next to my swung open, and a voice asked snootily, "Abby Lynch?" I looked up to make eye contact with the nurse. "Yes?"I asked, more tears going downmy face. "Louis keeps asking for you." I jumped 10 feet in the air and landed on your feet. "He's awake?" I cried. The nurse nodded. "How long?" I cried in distress. The dumb nurse shrugged, "About fifteen minutes. I tried starting a conversation with him, but he kept asking for you." She curled her lip in disgust.

I ran over and shoved the nurse out of the way, swinging the door open. Louis was sitting up in his bed. "I told you!" he groaned. "I want to talk to-" he stopped when he saw you. "Abby!"

I scrambled over to him and hugged him gently, then sat down. Louis looked me right in the eyes and soke simply, "You've been crying." "I... I thought..." I stammered, feeling tears well up in my eyes once again. "I thought you were going to die..." I felt myself crying again.

Louis reached out and laced his fingers with mine. "Look at me," he murmured softly. "I'm right here. I'm alive. I'm going to stay alive. I'm never going to leave you." He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it gently.

"So, what happened, anyways?" I asked him gently. Louis inhaled softly, "When I flipped over the fence, I fell on my head and it gave me a small concussion." "Will you be able to peform again?" I asked in worry. It would kill me if I knew it was my fault Louis couldn't sing next week. "Of course I will, darling!" laughed Louis, squeezing my hand casually. "Now, come here," he murmured softly. I leaned forward. "I have to tell you a secret," he whispered, smiling.

I leaned forward, tilting my head so he could whisper in my ear. I felt his lips gently graze my ear, then, without any warning, his free hand came up, turned my head, and his lips were against mine. I instantly kissed back, tangling my fingers in his hair. I knew he was still hurt, so I decided not to press forward. Instead, I leaned back.

"I've been wanting to tell you that secret so badly since the moment I met you in the third grade," he murmured, kissing my forehead. "I love you, Abby Lynch." he leaned his forehead against mine. "I love you too, Louis Tomlinson," I responded quietly, and he kissed my forehead again.

"Now..." Louis leaned back. "Do you think they have any carrots in this bloody hospital?" 


	47. Chapter 47

"Wake up….." a voice sung softly in your ears. In response, you groaned and pulled the pillow over your head. This time, the voice was much louder. "WAKE UP, CODY!" You shot up in bed and turned to give your best friend your best glare.

"Lou….." you growled slowly. "Was that _really_ necessary?" Louis thought about it for a moment, then broke out into a smile as he nodded, "Yes!" You groaned and slid out of bed, smacking Louis on your way to your closet.

"We're hanging out with the guys today," Louis added, and you nodded as you continued to look through your clothes. "Including Liam!" Louis stretched out Liam's name as he taunted you, poking you repeatedly in the side. You squealed, being ticklish, and turned to look at him. "Seriously?" you asked, eyes wide. Louis only nodded. He was the only one who knew about your secret crush on the infamous Liam Payne. He was one of your best friends, but you couldn't help but love him.

"Well, get out then, you perv!" you laughed, shoving Louis out of your bedroom and shutting the door behind you.

You pulled on a slim-fitting _Careful Harry, He Doesn't Have a Nose!_ t-shirt with smoky jeans and your converse. You hopped down the stairs, and Louis rolled his eyes and grabbed your hand, pulling you to the car.

"Stay here," Louis told you as you both stood at the entrance to an amusement park. "I'm gonna go buy us tickets." You nodded and watched him leave. As soon as Louis disappeared from ear shot, a group of guys turned on you. They were whispering while looking at you, and would continually wink with their eyes traveling up and down.

Suddenly, an arm looped around your waist, pulling you into a warm body. At first, you were going to pull away, thinking it was one of the perverts. But when the voice spoke out, you immediately curled into the touch. "Well, those dumbasses need to learn that you're _mine_."

You looked up and met beautiful chocolate brown ones. "Hey Liam," you smiled, and the boy smiled back, flipping his light brown straightened hair. "Hey, Cody," Liam kissed the top of your head and you chuckled.

"Nice to see you too, mate!" commented Harry, walking up with Niall and Zayn. You rolled your eyes, "Stop being so dramatic, boys! You know I love you," you made a heart with your hands, and Niall stuck his tongue out at you. You stuck yours out at him in return.

"Alright, got the tickets, lads. Let's go!" Louis came up, handing each person a ticket. You guys ran in like little kids and pretty much went off the walls throughout the entire day. Finally, night fell, but the park was still open. You guys were still walking around, the amusement park was bloody HUGE! Louis and Harry were fighting over cotton candy, Harry was chucking popcorn at Zayn, Niall was laughing at all of you, and Liam was walking around with you on his back.

Suddenly, Liam called out, "FERRIS WHEEL!" You looked up and saw it – the giant wheel of lights, slowly spinning around. It was huge. "Let's go on it!" Liam gently put you down on the ground and grabbed your hand, pulling you with him. "Um…. Liam…. I don't think….." you stammered, but he wasn't listening.

The line was short, and it only took about ten seconds for you guys to get locked into a case. The man pulled a lever and you began to slowly move upwards. You looked over the edge and down below. Everything was so small. You had a quick flash image of you falling and hitting the ground, and you flew back in the seat.

"Cody? What's wrong?" Liam asked. "I-I…." you stammered, as you lurched, stopping at the top. "What? Why did we stop?" you cried. "Is it supposed to stop?"

Liam got up and moved to your bench, sitting next to you. "Cody, are you afraid of heights?" he asked gently, as though if he said it any louder you would implode. You bit your bottom lip, trying to hold back tears as you nodded. Liam put his arm around your shoulders and pulled you into his chest. "Come on, Cody. You know I would never let anything happen to you," he murmured, rubbing your back.

You looked up at him, and your eyes met his gorgeous ones. Immediately, everything faded. You forgot about your fear of heights, you forgot you were so high up, you forgot about the world around you, as Liam slowly leaned in. Finally, his lips pressed against yours.

You smoothly kissed back, cupping the side of his face with one hand. After about ten seconds of you both kissing, you finally pulled back. "I have been waiting to kiss you for years," Liam smiled. You laughed and kissed him again.

You didn't even know that the ferris wheel had stopped until someone opened the door to your case. You leaned away from Liam and got up, lacing your fingers with his as you stepped off of the platform. 


	48. Chapter 48

"No! Oh no! That's not good for anyone! The lights are off! No, no, no, where is she?" Niall and I were curled up on my bed, my laptop in front of us, PewDiePie's 'Ju-On The Grudge' walkthrough playing off of YouTube. All of a sudden, the girl dropped down from the ceiling. I screamed and grabbed onto Niall's shirt, burying my face into his chest.  
Niall laughed and tightened his arm around my shoulders. "Chill out, Devynn!" he chuckled. "It's just a stupid video game." "Easy for you to say," I grumbled into his chest. "You've watched this video before." Niall shrugged. "Yeah, you're right," he agreed. "But watch it anyways!"  
I looked up at him, eyes wide. He knew I was scared to death of horror movies. My eyes instantly met Niall's large, bright blue ones, and he gave me his best puppy dog face. I groaned and turned my head back towards the screen, leaning against Niall.  
"Alright, she's gone, she's gone," PewDiePie was saying. "We're safe buddy. Hello plants! _Hello Pewdie!_ It's time to go home and see your mother. Yup, it's time to see your mother. Haha." He turned around, and the screen was instantly filled with the girl's large, red eyes.  
I screamed even louder that time, and shoved my head back into the crook of his neck. "Turn it off, turn it off, turn it off!" I begged, shaking violently. Niall leaned forward and clicked the Pause button. "You're such a derp," he laughed, rubbing my shoulder with his thumb.  
"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you," I whimpered into his neck, scared to death. Niall finally stopped laughing at me and pulled me closer to him. "It's okay, Devynn. It's just a video game. It's not real. And if it was, that stupid dolphin girl wouldn't even get close to you," he rested his chin on the top of my head.  
I snuggled closer to him, gently inhaling his scent. "You smell good," I mumbled, and I smiled to myself as I pictured my best friend's confused face. "Uhm…. Thanks?" he replied slowly. There was a short silence, before Austin finally pushed me away a little bit. "You okay?" he asked, looking down at me. I nodded, and Niall gently kissed my forehead before pulling me back into his chest.  
"Hey, Devynn?" Niall asked quietly. "Yeah, Niall?" I asked in response, playing with his fingers as I laced them with mine. "You know I'll always be here to protect you, right?" "Of course," I pulled my hand out of his, tracing small shapes on his palm. "And if that asshole _Luke_ ever touches you again…." Niall snarled. I stiffened at the sound of Luke's name, and shut my eyes tightly, trying to hold back tears. Memories I kept in the back of my mind for so long flashed before my eyes….  
 _Luke was on top of me. We were in a full make-out session, his hands on my waist and my arms around his neck. Luke sat up, pulling off his shirt. Then, he went back to me. His lips went down my neck, slowly sucking at my sweet spot. I moaned at the pleasure, and he reached for the hem of my t-shirt. I hesitated, but let him pull my shirt up over my head._  
 _Luke continued to kiss me, and he made his way down to my stomach. Luke's fingers began to pull at the zipper on my jeans. "No, Luke," I stopped him. "I'm sorry, but I'm not ready, yet…." I hoped he would understand. Luke only frowned darkly at me. "But I'm ready," he smiled and began to pull on my pants._  
 _"No! Luke, stop it!" I screamed, trying to push him away. Luke was a lot stronger than me, though, and held me down. "Relax, Devynn. If you don't struggle, it'll hurt less," Luke growled in my ear. He ripped off my jeans, and pulled off my bra. I screamed louder as he bit down on my underwear with his teeth, pulling it off. I thrashed on the bed, screaming, sobbing, and crying like hell as he made his way into me._

I didn't realize I was sobbing until I heard Niall crying out my name, holding me into him. "Please…. It's okay Devynn… It's okay, you're safe. I promise. I promise, he won't hurt you! Devynn, it's okay!"  
"Don't let him, Niall! Please…. Don't go!" I screamed into his neck. "Sh… Sh…." Niall whispered gently. "I'm not going anywhere…. I'm not going anywhere…. I promise…. I promise…." 


	49. Chapter 49

"Flight 32A to Mullingar, Ireland, is now boarding."  
"Come on, it's time to go," my mother told me, standing up from her seat. I kept my lips sealed, quickly shaking my head. "Jay, come on, we need to go," my mother repeated, grabbing our carry-on {which was my school backpack} and slinging it over her shoulder. I only shook my head again.  
"Jay, I know you hate flying, but we're going to Ireland. It won't take that long, darling," my mom continued, grabbing my hand in attempt to pull me up. I gripped the armrest of the chair tightly, remaining firmly in my seat.  
"Jay, we don't have time for this!" my mother was getting angry now. "We need to go! Now!" She grabbed my wrist tightly and pulled me out of the seat, dragging me to the loading dock and onto the airplane. I was fighting her the whole time, but it was no use.  
"There's no empty double seats," my mother sighed. "I guess I'll have to sit here." She dropped the backpack down on the floor of the airplane in front of the seat next to us. "You'll have to sit back there," she nodded towards a seat near the middle of the plane, where a blonde head popped over the top of the seat. My mother sat down, and I slowly made my way down the aisle.  
Great, just great. I'm absolutely terrified of airplanes and flying, and now I have to do _both_ halfway across a plane without my mother. I would probably die during take-off.  
I sat down in the seat, and the boy and I exchanged glances. He had blonde hair that was a little long, but cropped so it looked good. His hair was obviously bleached, because his roots and the sides of his hair were a dark brown. But the thing that struck me most was his gorgeous, stunning blue eyes. The boy gave me a small smile and a nod, before turning back towards the window.  
I inhaled slowly, facing towards the front of the plane. Several minutes later, the seat-belt light came on, and a voice came from the intercom, telling us what to do in an emergency and that we were going to be taking off right after. With each word I was becoming more and more nervous and scared.  
I heard the engine start up, and the plane jolted forward. I cried out softly, but immediately slapped my hands over my mouth. Once I did, I felt something warm hit my hands, and I knew I was crying out of fear.  
"Hey, are you alright?" a thick, Irish accent sounded next to me, and I realized it was the boy. I kept my hands over my mouth as the plane picked up speed. I nodded, and as the plane grew faster, so did my tears.  
"That's obviously bullshit," the boy replied flatly. His voice grew softer and gentler, and I was surprised I could hear him over the roar of the engine. "Are you afraid of flying?" he asked quietly. The front lurched upwards, and the rest of the plane followed suit. I cried out again and broke down.  
Suddenly, the boy's hand flashed up, taking mine off of my mouth. He laced his fingers with mine, squeezing my hand gently. "Look at me," he told me sternly. My head turned, and I found my eyes locked with his gorgeous blue orbs once again.  
"My name's Niall," the boy reached up, placing his hand on my cheek, his thumb gently brushing away my tears. The plane lurched again, and I wanted to curl up into a ball and scream. Niall squeezed my hand again. "Look at me, look at me," he told me. "Nothing's going to happen to you. I promise. You're absolutely, perfectly, completely safe. Do you understand?"  
I nodded slightly, and Niall gave me his perfect smile once again. The plane moved forward and moved at a steady pace, so smooth I didn't even feel it. I finally stopped crying and freaking out, but Niall kept his fingers laced with mine. "Now," Niall flexed his shoulders. "What's your name, love?"


	50. Chapter 50

I was supposed to be in my room. I was supposed to be grounded for arguing with my father about my music. I was supposed to be in my room all day.  
Too. Fucking. Bad.  
Pulling on a tight black tank top and smokey skinny jeans, I hurried to brush my straight hair and tie my black checkered converse. I plugged my earbuds in, shoving my iPod into my back pocket.  
I pulled the window to my room open, and slid out it. I landed on the tree branch beneath my window and slowly closed the window.  
I turned and crept along the branch and down the tree. I took off down the street, feeling the warmth of the sunshine on my back.  
I arrived at... I didn't know, actually. Downtown, I guess?  
I kept walking, looking at all the shops. Freaking England, man. We had the money to move down here, but wouldn't have the money to buy an apple. Well, we didn't really move here by choice... It was my dad's idea to go here, but we were forced to... And still, nobody believed me that it WASN'T my fault!  
Thinking so much about it, I grew frustrated. I started to softly sing the song that was playing on my iPod. Then, I slammed into someone. I fell on the ground, landing on my ass, since the guy was taller than me. (Wasn't everybody? I mean, I'm 5"3!)  
"Oh, sorry," the boy held out his hand for me to take. I grabbed it, and he pulled me up. He noticed my earbuds. "What song is that?" he asked innocently. "You're really good."  
I looked the boy up and down. He was pretty cute – jet black hair, tanned skin, and startlingly dark eyes. He had on dark blue jeans that were half tucked into his black TOMS, with a black t-shirt.  
"It's... Uh..." I paused, quickly listening to the lyrics. "'Wake Me Up When September Ends' by Green Day," I finished. The boy nodded. "Good band." He held out his hand once again, "I'm Zayn, by the way. Zayn Malik." I thought for a moment, deciding to lie. "Marie," I shook his hand. "Marie Jones."  
Malik gave me a crooked smirk. "Fine, don't tell me your name." I must have looked surprised, because he laughed. "How did you know it wasn't my real name?" I asked. "You don't look like a Marie," responded Zayn, as though it were the simplest thing in the world. "Why won't you tell me, anyways?"  
"Well, you could be a rapist for all I know." I replied smoothly. "How would I be a rapist?" asked Zayn. "Well, you randomly run into me. You compliment me, saying my singing is good, making me trust you. You start a conversation to catch me off a guard. Then, when I least expect it, you drag me into your car and you drive to your place and rape me." I finished.  
"Well, you seem to know a lot about this," smirked Zayn. "How do I know _you're_ not a rapist?" I rolled my eyes. "We're doing the 'Get Smart' thing, huh? Okay, well... Um..." I racked my brain, trying to remember the line. Finally, it hit me.  
"If I was a rapist you'd already be raped."  
"Well if _I_ was a rapist, _you'd_ already be raped."  
"Well neither of us are raped so I'm obviously not a rapist."  
"Then neither am I!"  
We both started cracking up. "And besides, I don't think I could rape a twelve-year-old," added Zayn, looking me up and down. "Twelve?!" I protested. "I'm seventeen, asshole! How old are you, like, thirty?" Zayn pretended to laugh. "Ha ha ha. I'm nineteen."  
He looked around. "Do you wanna go get an ice cream or something?" I shrugged, "Sure, why not?"  
We started walking down the street when Zayn turned to me. "You never did tell me your name..." I laughed. "It's Jacqueline Tylers," I cringed at the name. "But call me Jake," I sent my best death glare towards my new friend, "Call me Jackie or Jacqueline and I kill you." Zayn laughed and held his hands up like he was being arrested. "Don't worry, I'll keep it to Jake!" I smiled at him. "Good." 


	51. Chapter 51

"You know what? Whatever!" I shouted angrily into my phone. Liam Payne was my best friend, and he had just gone and left me here. I hung up abruptly. We were supposed to meet for our monthly gaming and photography session but he had just cancelled on me, hardly an hour before he was due to arrive. Don't get me wrong, I love that kid with all my heart. He's been my best friend since our first year of primary school. When everyone else was paying no attention to me and others were bullying him, we managed to find our way together. But recently things began changing. Sure, I knew inevitably we'd get drawn apart, with puberty and such, but I never expected his fame to come between our friendship. Frustrated, I ran a hand through my long, strawberry blonde hair, my hazel eyes flashing in a mixture of annoyance and aggravation.

I walked into my room and found myself slamming the door shut. I slid down the wood and sunk to the floor in a pitiful heap, holding my head in my hands. For once, I wasn't my usual happy, bubbly self. If you wanted to know the truth, all I really had in my life was Liam. I was usually shy around new people and that made it difficult to make friends. Liam had been the only one that had stuck by me through the years. He had been there when my father passed away from cancer, holding my hand every step of the way and supporting me. I had my share of support for him as well. I wasn't even put off by those nasty rumours that flew around back in year 9 about how he was gay when he was pushed aside by virtually the whole school. We shared a very flowery, colourful past; but that didn't halt the fact that we were slowly losing contact.

I sat on my bed and read 'The Hunger Games' to try and stop my mind from wandering into a void of negative thoughts. As I was about to get to a good part, where obviously something bad was going to happen to the main character Katniss and that Peeta guy, I heard the doorbell buzz. I glanced up to the wall at the clock. It was almost ten on this Sunday morning. I hadn't even bothered to open the blinds up yet to let the sunlight dance around my small room. I rolled out of bed and threw on a cardigan, dragging myself to the door. I knew my eyes were puffy already, but I didn't really care. It wasn't like Liam was going to come visit me anyway. It was probably Mrs Williams the old next-door neighbour after some milk or something.

I pulled open the door, stifling a yawn. My eyes widened as I realized who was standing before me. I choked and held the door open.  
"What are you doing here?" I croaked, embarrassed. A tallish kid with light brown hair and blue eyes stood before me. He was well toned and muscular for his age, with a decent tan. I stood there flabbergasted.  
"Um, can I come in?" he asked gently. I nodded and pushed the door open further for him to step through. God, I must have looked awful. My hair was suspended in a messy bun above my crown, and I was still in my light pink pyjamas. Actually, my top half was covered only by a loose singlet that barely covered my chest. I blushed as I looked down at myself. Plus, I'd had the biggest crush on this member of One Direction ever since Liam introduced me to everyone after the finals. Oh no, this is going to get awkward. And very quickly.  
"Um, are you OK?" he asked me pointedly. I sighed.  
"Yeah, I'm good. You just caught me at an interesting time!" I said sweetly, hiding my embarrassment and sadness with my trade-mark glowing smile. But the boy saw right through me.  
"You don't look OK." I frowned. Perhaps my amazing facial expressions weren't working as usual. I took a seat by the kitchen bench and motioned for him to join me.

"Want anything to drink, Louis?" I asked. He nodded, and I pulled out a carton of milk. "We have milk, juice, or water."  
"Just milk thanks." I nodded and poured him a glass, sitting back next to him. He looked at me expectantly. I sighed audibly, and rested my head on the kitchen bench.  
"It's Liam." I said sadly. "He doesn't hang around me anymore, and he cancels everything we usually do together. I don't know if I'm too boring for him or something, but he keeps ignoring me. I miss him so much, you know he's all I've had through school." Louis nodded.  
"I understand you're feelings, but he's not ignoring you." I scowled at him for his comment.  
"Yeah right." I muttered. He shook his head like he knew something I didn't know.  
"What?" I growled. He laughed at my reaction.  
"Actually, Liam told me some interesting things about you." I shuffled uncomfortably. He couldn't know about my crush, could he? Actually, Liam was acting unnaturally distant these past few weeks. Was he planning something? I laughed inwardly at myself. No. No way.

"Actually, Liam told me about your photography. Apparently you're really good." I blushed at his comment and smiled at him.  
"I'm not that good," I said seriously to him. "Liam's just good at exaggerating stuff."  
"But I'd really like to see some of your photography. I like that sort of thing." I squeaked in surprise as he grabbed my hand.  
"Lead the way." I shook my finger at him, but conceded.  
"At least let me get changed first." He looked down at my attire as if for the first time, and turned around, his ears going bright red. I smirked.  
"Uh, sorry about that…" he trailed off. I flicked him on the forehead and quickly walked up to my room, changing like lightning. I bounded down the stairs with my sketchbook in hand. I poked Louis on the forehead and led the way.

We walked out into the garden, making our way down the tiled pathway that was surrounded by lavender.  
"Well, this is where we keep the dark room." I explained, pointing to the old shed at the back of the garden. I pulled the door open a crack and pushed Louis in, following closely behind. I flicked on a lava lamp, effectively illuminating the room in a light orange glow. Louis gasped as he looked up around him. Little wires lined the ceilings, strewn haphazardly from the wooden frame of the shed. Picture that I'd developed hung from pegs all around the room. One had caught Louis' eye. A dark green and black butterfly sitting on a strand of lavender. There was no colour on this picture; I had used the greyscale mode on my camera because I had been in a darker mood when taking that picture. Other pictures of worn-down buildings, concrete and other fragments of the nature that surrounded my house could also be seen on the large prints that hung to dry.

"Please don't touch anything!" I said happily, swatting Louis' hand away as he went to touch the butterfly.  
"They're so realistic!" he breathed excitedly. I snorted at him.  
"Well of course they are, stupid! They're photographs." He grimaced and ran an embarrassed hand through his hair. I giggled at him.  
"You know, you're really talented," he pointed out like it was a fact.  
"I only do it for fun," I shrugged at him. "By the way, you can have that one, once its all dried out that is." I motioned for the butterfly on the lavender. His lips formed a small 'o' shape.  
"Really?" he asked, incredulous.  
"Yeah, it was a bitch to take." I laughed at his expression. "I saw the butterfly and thought it would be a perfect shot. But then I almost ran into a spiderweb trying to get into a good position to get it and then there were friggin bees everywhere and I almost got stung…" I trailed off, not really sure if Louis really cared for excruciating details. But I had a captive audience. His blue eyes watched me intensely, and I felt my hazel eyes melting at his gaze. Without the passing of a single word, Louis had breached the gap between us and was leaning his lips forward into mine. I gasped at the foreign touch, but complied, kissing back.

We pulled apart after a few seconds, both blushing. He went to open his mouth to say something to me, but we were startled by the flash of a camera. I turned to face the doorway, looking around wildly like a deer caught in headlights.  
"Liam?" I managed out. I looked at him, placing two and two together. He was holding a camera. There was a flash. "What the hell kinda picture did you take?" I yelled, chasing him out of the room. He just laughed, running around the garden playfully. Harry, Zayn, and Niall were all standing around laughing their asses off.  
"About time!" Harry yelled at Louis. He came out of the dark room blushing. I stopped chasing Liam.  
"Wait, you guys planned all this?" I asked, flustered. Liam nodded.  
"Hey, I only want the best for my best friend. Plus… Mr Tomlinson has had an enormous crush on you since day one!" I blushed and looked over at Louis. He nodded sheepishly. I smiled at him and hugged Liam.  
"Thanks." All my emotions for the past few weeks were compiled into that one simple word. I poked him on the cheek, and ran over to Louis, happily placing my hand in his. 


	52. Chapter 52

"AGH! FUCK YOU, NIALL!" I screamed, shaking my head, water splashing around me. I climbed out of my pool, staring down at the blue hair dye that filled the water.

Quickly scrubbing the dye off my body, I checked the mirror. My normally dirty blonde hair was now a light blue, with small hints of dark blue. "Fuck you..." I grumbled, pulling my hair in a ponytail.

My boyfriend Niall and I were in a prank war, and right now, I was losing - big time.

Getting dressed in dark grey smokey skinny jeans, blue TOMS, and a blue shirt with "Live Today" written on it, I headed out into the city, wearily making my way to what happened to be Niall's favorite restaurant.

Stepping up to the counter, I looked around. "Will you all do me one small favor?" I asked. "Sure, love, what can we do for you?" the lady behind the counter asked. "Well, you see, my boyfriend and I are in a prank war, and this is his favorite restaurant..." I placed a piece of paper on the table. The woman analyzed it for a moment, then laughed. "I guess so," she laughed. I pumped my fist in the air, then ran to post the sign up in the window.

Running outside, I pulled open my phone and hit Speed Dial, immediately calling up Niall.

"Give up, babe?" Niall's Irish accent sounded from the other side of the phone. I wanted to laugh, but I knew I needed to keep character in order for this to work.

"Niall, this isn't about the prank war..." I replied slowly. "Missy, what's wrong?" Niall asked, getting serious. "Can you just... Meet me at Nandos?" "O-Okay," Niall stammered. "I'll-I'll be there in a few minutes. Be careful, babe." "You too," I smiled to myself, and burst out laughing the moment I heard the click.

Like he had said, minutes later, Niall showed up at Nandos. He ran up to give me a hug. "Are you okay, Missy?" he asked, bright blue eyes filled with worry.

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine," I told him. "But... Um..." I pointed towards the Nandos window, where a large sign was plastered there, clearly stating: "CLOSED DOWN".

Niall let out a sharp scream and ran towards the window, reading and rereading the sign. He started stammering random words, screaming a bit, and of course, swearing. Finally, I burst out laughing.

"I... Set... That... Poster... Up..." I gasped between laughs, almost to tears. "You git!" Niall cried, his jaw dropping. "Sorry!" I laughed. "I couldn't resist, especially after you dyed my hair blue!"

Niall's lips pursed into a straight line, and he turned away, shoulders shaking. Immediately, I knew he was crying, and stopped laughing. "I'm... I'm sorry!" I cried. "It was just a joke..." I put my hand on Niall's shoulder, but he pushed me away. "Niall... Please... I... I'm sorry..." I whispered, nearly to tears myself.

All of a sudden, Niall spun around, a huge smile on his face. "You're awful!" I screamed, hitting him in the chest.

"I'm sorry," Niall apologized. "Missy, why don't we just stop this prank war? It's bringing out the worst in us." "Well... What are we going to do instead?" I asked, tilting my head to one side. "I have a few ideas," Niall smirked, pressing his lips to mine. 


	53. Chapter 53

"Ninjas!" I yelled as I jumped like a crazy person on my best friend, Lizzy. Today was going to be an awesome day! We had bought tickets to the final performances for X Factor, 2010. It was the seventh series of the show, and me and Lizzy had watched every single episode every single year without fail. Sure, you could practically call us crazed , this year the three finalists were the group 'One Direction', the only female Rebecca Ferguson, and finally the male contestant Matt Cardle. Personally, I was in love with One Direction. I mean, come on! They were all my age and the most talented boys I'd ever seen! They all complimented each other's voices perfectly. But my eyes only landed on one specific member of the boyband, and that was Zayn Malik. Zayn Malik was amazing! I had watched every single episode so I fancied I knew everything about the teen. Like the fact he was only really half British, and a proud Muslim. Most people disagreed with my sentiments right there because of that. They don't agree with Muslims. Well, mostly the older people. There were plenty of Muslims in my grade at school, and they were all really nice people. I wished people would just leave them alone. Everyone's entitled to their own beliefs, right?  
Lizzy and I headed back to my house after school. We were going to figure out what to wear, and yes, at the last minute. We quickly shuffled through my wardrobe, pulling out various coloured shirts and pants that were haphazardly strewn across my double bed.  
"Do you think Liam will like this?" she asked, holding up a blue strapless shirt.  
"I dunno," I responded. I only had eyes for Zayn Malik.  
"What about this?" she held up a green t-shirt with a pacman on it. I giggled.  
"No, I don't think that suits the occasion…"  
We shuffled through the clothes for a little while longer. Piles of discarded clothing began to grow on my soft white carpet. The door downstairs opened, and keys were thrown into the fruit bowl where they rested at the end of every day.  
"Girls!" My mum came in to stare at the mess. She shook her head. "And who do you think is going to clean all that up?" I grimaced. I hadn't thought of that.

In the end, I ended up picking a tight black shirt that had red loose straps to go with my black jeans. I also wore basic, bright red heels. I accessorized with an ornamental black cross and my trademark zombie string earrings. I looked slightly gothic with my light skin. Lizzy's attire was more subdued. She wore a light blue summer dress that ran down to just above her knees, showing off her tanned skin. She wore black flats and had an effeminate golden heart pendant hanging around her neck. She also had gold heart earrings to match.  
We descended the stairs giggling our heads off. I almost stacked it down the stairs, not fully used to wearing heels. As we passed through the kitchen and into the living room where we were bombarded with the sounds of loud screeching and deep trembling voices.  
"What in the world are you watching?" I asked.  
"It's Der Rosenkavalier." My dad responded in his usual accent. "It is a German opera, by Strauss." Did I mention my dad is half German? And yes, I can speak German as well. Although, not many people here in England appreciate that, what with the war and everything. I still get people muttering, calling me one of Hitler's children whenever I speak the language out in the streets. My dad had escaped the war as a small boy many years ago, when he was hardly my age. We still didn't know if there were any relatives still alive on his side.  
"Ready to go?" he asked. Lizzy and I nodded. Soon, we were on our way.

Dad dropped us off around the front of the stadium. We flashed our tickets at the security guards and they ushered us through. We were so close to the stage now! When we finally found our seats we were only two rows from the front!  
"How much did you pay for the tickets?" I asked in surprise as I took my seat.  
"Not much, actually. I got a discount because of dad, you know." Lizzy's dad worked behind the scenes.  
"Well, this is awesome!" I yelled. We sat and waited for the show to start. Slowly, I felt myself falling deep into the confines of my mind. Perhaps that was the reason I liked Zayn Malik so much. Both of us were different, in a different country with different culture. He was a Muslim and I was a German. We were both different in this country that didn't like foreigners, and we were probably treated the same way because we were foreign. There was something deeper in my mind for Zayn Malik than a simple fangirl crush. There was empathy and understanding rooted deep within my feelings for him. I wondered vaguely if he was ever scowled at or got people muttering about him for his skin colour. I bet he did. But he seemed so strong up on stage, regardless. Actually, maybe his dancing wasn't too strong, but that never put him down. I blushed. The lights suddenly dimmed, and I was brought back to reality. I hadn't noticed all of those people that had slotted into their seats around us. There were only a few people left still to file in from the various entrances to the room. It was time.  
One Direction made their way on stage. Light piano began, and the spotlight was on Liam. Lizzy squealed beside me and I rolled my eyes at her. She shrugged and continued staring at Liam. I could swear drool had started trailing down from her mouth.  
It's a little bit funny this feeling inside  
I'm not one of those who can easily hide  
I don't have much money but boy if I did  
I'd buy a big house where we both could live  
If I was a sculptor, but then again, no  
Or a man who makes potions in a travelling show  
I know it's not much but it's the best I can do  
My gift is my song and this one's for you  
And you can tell everybody this is your song  
It may be quite simple but now that it's done  
I hope you don't mind  
I hope you don't mind that I put down in words  
How wonderful life is while you're in the world  
I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss  
Well a few of the verses well they've got me quite cross  
But the sun's been quite kind while I wrote this song  
It's for people like you that keep it turned on  
So excuse me forgetting but these things I do  
You see I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue  
Anyway the thing is what I really mean  
Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen

The second Zayn stepped forward it was my turn to stare in amazement. He was just as attractive, if not more so up close in person than on the television. The spotlight shined on all of the members of One Direction as the chorus came, all were lined up in a straight line with microphones stands before them. They all sung so sweetly, filled with energy and passion. I felt light tears come to my eyes. Not because I was so in love with them, but because I was so taken by the music and the lyrics. It was a beautiful song choice for the teenage boyband. As I went to sniffle and wipe my nose on my sleeve, Lizzy nudged me harshly, motioning upwards. My actions halted. Staring down at me from the stage was none other than Zayn Malik himself. He was wearing black jeans, a white shirt with a black vest and a light cream coloured jacket. He directed some of the lyrics to me as he watched my face closely. They all stepped forwards from behind their line of microphone stands. I felt my cheeks redden intensely. How could something as simple as a song break me until I was a babbling, teary mess. What's worse, I was blubbering right in front of Zayn!

After all the performances were finished, Lizzy and I sighed and made our way to leave. Before we could reach the illuminated exit sign, however, we were met by a very large security guard in a black suit. Lizzy squeaked as he walked towards us.  
"You two are wanted backstage," he explained in a deep, gravelly voice. He led us around the back way which was paved with X Factor signs. We followed without question. I texted my dad who was supposed to be waiting in the carpark, letting him know we might be late.  
"What's going on?" Lizzy asked slightly scared. The guard led us right around to the back of the stage, which was lined with small doors. Each door had a sign on it with each of the respective finalists' names tacked to it. My eyes widened as the guard stopped before the door marked 'One Direction'.  
"No way!" Lizzy squeaked. Quickly, the two of us checked each other over, before the door was pushed open by someone on the other side.

"Thanks for supporting us, girls!" Harry said as we stepped in. Harry, Liam, Niall and Louis crowded around Lizzy, and she was having the time of her life. I felt a strong, muscular hand take mine and lead me out of the room.  
"Hey." Standing before me was Zayn Malik! His dark brown eyes searched mine as I stared at him in shock. He stepped forward to close the space between us, pulling me into a tight embrace.  
"You were crying before, and I was so worried," he began, "I know… it sounds stupid and weird that I'd be worried about a complete stranger, and please don't think I'm weird." Here Zayn was, opening up completely to me. This was another side of Zayn that I had never seen on the X Factor.  
"I don't think you're weird."

"Haha, you say that now," Zayn continued, with a grimace on his face, "you'll agree I'm a weirdo once you hear this. I have this… thing for you. They're deep feelings, and I don't understand them." He trailed off. "Even though we've never met before, I have this kind of… sense of togetherness with you." He looked away quickly in embarrassment. I shook my head at him.  
"Oh, Zayn, I feel the same way." His eyes came back to search mine. Seeing in my eyes that I was telling the truth, he smiled brightly. He hugged me again, and then held me out to study my face. There was no hint of a lie on my features. Reassured, Zayn closed his eyes and leaned forward. I closed my eyes as well, and slowly, our lips touched. Zayn nibbled gently on my lip, eliciting a gasp. Taking his opportunity, he passed his tongue quickly through my lips to attain dominance. After what seemed like forever, we parted, breathing heavily. Zayn smiled and pressed a piece of paper in my hands. Within seconds, Lizzy and I were being led away by the security guard and out into the carpark. I opened the piece of paper once I got home. On it was Zayn's number, and a short message:  
'I'm sorry I never asked your name. Please enlighten me?'  
I grinned and quickly flipped my phone open. 


	54. Chapter 54

I glared my way around the music room. Every single awesome musical instrument was taken. There was only one lone xylophone left. And I hated xylophones. The senior block of the school sat above the music rooms, and every time we had an exam, the juniors would have a music lesson. And, of course, with a class set of xylophones the clanging of mallets against the annoying instruments would travel upwards and permeate the classrooms above. There's only so much of the ridiculous clinking sounds you can stand without wanting to throw something out the window. And, here I was, standing before the demonic tuned percussion. I glared at it. Life was cruel sometimes.

There were only five girls in the Year 12 music class, myself included. And this got me asking that very important question: why the hell would the boys from 'One Direction' come to our school all the way out here in Australia to emphasize the importance of music at school, when honestly our school didn't have too large a music section in itself. They were due to come down and join our class within the next ten minutes, and put together a song. Now, that was easy for Alana and Emma, the twins; Alana could play piano and Emma usually sung. Loren had brought her flute and was happily tooting away in one of the practice rooms, warming up her instruments. That left me and Renee. Renee had taken the lone drumkit that sat in the centre of the room, next to the piano and under the whiteboard. All I had going for me was a xylophone, or those little percussion instruments. Worse still, we all had to throw together a song as a group. What the hell was I supposed to do?

To my utmost embarrassment, the boys from One Direction finally made their appearance. Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and finally Niall Horan stepped through the wooden door to the dingy music room. There was no air conditioner in this summer heat, and it was almost unbearable. They were all sweaty, used to having their winter before the Christmas break instead of summer at this time of year. But they were all grinning wildly.  
"Hi!" Harry began a conversation with the twins, and Loren came bounding out of the practice room to join in. The others marched on over too, and Renee also joined in the conversation. I stayed by the far wall, unseen by all. I felt so out of place without my guitar, violin and cello. Yes, you could say I was one of the most extreme musicians in the room; I could play any string instruments and also some brass and woodwinds. At home, my dad had always made sure I could express myself through music and art, which he believed to be important, spiritually. Others thought he was nuts.

I grimaced and stared at the wall, boredly. I sighed. I knew they'd pay me no attention, what with this stupid god-awful xylophone. Plus I was really plain looking compared to the other girls. I was really short, and had very fair skin that burnt so easily in the Australian summer. I also wore rectangular glasses that framed my eyes. They were fashionable, but most girls wore contacts instead. Those evil things made my eyes itch. Nothing like the tall and tanned blonde bomb-shells that lined the beaches. Suddenly, I felt a poke on my arm. I jumped involuntarily and squeaked, accidentally flicking my layered auburn hair in the boy's face.  
"Hello!" I turned around in surprise to see Niall Horan, standing next to me.  
"Uh, hi…?" I responded bashfully. I went back to concentrating on my wall.  
"Why, you're a quiet one, aren't you?" he asked, playfully poking me again on the arm. I swatted him away, blushing. I wasn't usually one for liking boys with accents, but his Irish accent was like music to my ears. He was so short, sweet and kind as he sat there next to me. I guess he thought I needed some company.  
"What's yer name?" I shrugged.  
"Lissie, but everyone calls me Liss." He nodded.  
"That's a nice name. I like it." I blushed some more.

"So, what instrument do you play?" he asked. I scowled at him.  
"I play xylophone," I said as though extremely offended. But I lightened up immediately; I couldn't help being honest. "Nah, actually I'm a violinist, cellist and guitarist. I can also play clarinet, saxophone and trumpet." His eyes widened and he looked me up and down. I shook my head and grinned.  
"I kid you not." He laughed and slapped a hand on my shoulder.  
"Hey, we're supposed to make a song during the period, aren't we?" he asked playfully.  
"That's the idea." I looked down at the instrument. "But I got here late, so all I scored was this dodgy xylo."  
"Can you sing?" he asked pointedly. I thought for a moment. Should I or shouldn't I? I could lie to save myself the embarrassment at being a second-rate vocalist to this star. I watched him carefully. But I couldn't lie to that face.  
"Yeah, a little. But I'm obviously not as good as you." I admitted sheepishly. He smiled sweetly at me. "I mean, I do like singing, but I don't actually sing when people are listening."

"Doesn't matter. Let's be music partners, and maybe we'll be able to put something together." He grabbed a mallet out of my hand and began taping it expertly on the keys of the tuned percussion instrument. I glanced into his eyes. God, he had long eyelashes.  
"What do you have in mind?" I asked.  
"Well, you know I did 'So Sick of Love Songs' by Ne-yo for my audition, right?" I nodded.  
"You did good, by the way," I muttered under my breath. Oh crap, I felt a blush coming on! It must have been his gorgeous, curly blonde hair and his deep, beautiful blue eyes.  
"Well, I still know the chords, so we could do a new take on it."  
"Sure," I smiled at him. "As long as you do all the singing. I reckon I'm tone deaf." He laughed and we started organizing ourselves.

Actually, we made a good music duo. He was really good with music theoretically. He knew all of his scales and chords and was actually a really good teacher. And he was very persuasive. Actually, around him I wasn't shy anymore. He managed to get me of all people to sing aloud with him. And I fancied our voices worked together perfectly. Our tones were very similar. Finally, it was time to perform.

Mmmm mmm yeah  
Do do do do do do dodo  
Oh yeah

Gotta change my answering machine  
Now that I'm alone  
Cuz right now it says that we  
Can't come to the phone

And I know it makes no sense  
Cuz you walked out the door  
But it's the only way I hear your voice anymore

We skipped the rest of the words and ran straight into the chorus. Niall and I sung in unison, smiling at each other. The other boys from One Direction's eyes widened as they heard our voices meshing as one. I looked over to find Zayn and Harry tapping their toes. Liam was grinning cheesily and gave me the thumbs up. Finally, it seemed, they had recognized my existence. Some of the girls gave me confused and startled looks. I wasn't one to usually sing in front of anyone.

And I'm so sick of love songs  
So tired of tears  
So done with wishing you were still here  
Said I'm so sick of love songs  
So sad and slow  
So why can't I turn off the radio?

As we finished the last few chords with clinking on the xylophone, we were met by wild applause from the rest of One Direction. The other boys came up to me one by one, and smiled and introduced themselves. I smiled sadly as I realized that soon, they would all have to leave and fly down to Melbourne from here in Sydney to visit another school. Actually, in the short few minutes of talking to Liam, Zayn, Harry and Louis, I came to see them all as regular guys, not boys that had been catapulted to fame on a tv show. I realized that in any other circumstance, if they hadn't been born and brought up in England, they would have definitely been good friends of mine.

The twins, Alana and Emma, as well as the other two girls, Loren and Renee, stood beside me as we hugged and said goodbye to the boys. Niall stole my phone and put his name, address, e-mail and phone number in it.  
"I want to keep in touch with you," he explained, handing it back to me. "You're a really nice girl and I think one day you'll be famous too." I couldn't help but smile happily at his compliment. "And when that happens, I want you to tell me. And then we can go on tour together!"  
"Bye Niall, it was nice singing with you." I sighed and hugged him in farewell. I didn't truly believe that I would ever become famous; the poor, naïve boy was definitely dreaming. I watched, wiping a tear from my eye, as their small tour bus exited the school gates.

 _ **Fast-forward 3 years**_

I exited the doorway of the studio with an excited look on my face, running straight into the arms of my dad.  
"Well?" he asked expectantly. I started tearing up in his warm embrace.  
"I did it!" His eyes widened and we stood there a moment longer, letting everything sink in. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect Niall's idea would actually come true. About a month ago I had sent in a demo CD to Universal music, hardly expecting any response at all. I had done it on a whim. Now, being in my third year of uni, I felt life was just beginning. But still, I had had no direction whatsoever.  
And, ironically, there was only 'one direction' that would present itself. And that was Niall's continual nagging for me to take something in to a studio to see if I could break through. And I just did. I quickly whipped out my phone and texted Niall. He was back in Australia at the moment touring with the boys, but they were up north at Queensland at the moment.

"You need a break," my dad whispered into my ear. "I bought you a one-way ticket up to the Gold Coast, where they're touring." I jumped on him in surprise.  
"Dad, that's awesome!"  
I was met at Gold Coast airport by the smiling faces of One Direction. I was pulled into excited hugs by each of the members in turn. They all led me excitedly to their tour van and took me to a fancy restaurant. They had booked out a whole function room just for us. It was late and we were just about to start dessert, when I heard a clinking on glass. We all went silent.  
"I'd just like to say a few words." It was Niall who had spoken. Everyone smiled at me, watching my expression carefully. I sat there, oblivious.  
"We all knew that this amazing girl was going to make it!" he grinned at me. "Me more than others." I blushed at him. Everyone clapped at his words and I sat there in stunned silence.

"And, as most of you know, I have something else to say." The room was hushed again. "I want to ask Liss if she would like to be my girlfriend." My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.  
"Say what?" I choked out. He repeated the question. I nodded madly.  
"Niall, of course! Why would I not want to be with you?" I began ranting at him, but I was later silenced by a kiss on the lips. I gasped and had immediately had nothing left to say. We received a few wolf-whistles from Harry, Zayn and Louis and I received a congratulatory hug from Liam.  
"Welcome to the family!" he said with a smile. Dessert was served, and I moved to sit on Niall's lap, grabbing his spoon for him and digging into his cake for him. I took the first bite.  
"Hey!" he growled at me, looking into my flashing grey-green eyes. I giggled and took another spoonful, this time pressing it gently to his lips. He smiled and swallowed, and gave me another kiss. Music began to play in the background. It was 'So Sick of Love Songs', the very song we first ever sung together. 


	55. Chapter 55

**Zoe POV**  
I picked my mobile phone off the counter and shoved it into the pocket of my black skinny jeans. I smiled as my iPod began blaring in my ears, my favourite British Indies artists rocking out. As I pushed open the back door of the studio and swiped my key-card the light of the moon gently illuminated my somewhat pale, freckled skin. It was snowing, but I didn't care. I needed time to think. I had come all the way here from my home in Bristol just to see whether or not I was a good enough singer. All my life, my parents had been telling me that I should work harder and harder on school work; music shouldn't take up quite so much of my time. Sure, I understood that they wanted the best for me in the long run, but I couldn't quite bring myself to giving up on it all just yet. That was why I came here. To participate in the English X Factor. Just to prove to them that I could do things with my music. I'd promised that I'd never sing again if I didn't make it. But I had. Dannii Minogue was my best friend and mentor, and she'd done so much for me in the past few months. But it all came down to this. The final week. There were only really four standout acts besides myself left in this season of the X Factor, and I had become close to them all, especially the guys from One Direction.  
I paced the sidewalk, kicking over piles of snow stacked up against the paved cement. I pulled my favourite blue hoodie over my head and sighed in frustration. What the hell would happen after X Factor was finished? It would be torture to leave everyone behind, win or lose. Niall I regarded as a best friend. He was a sweet boy with unruly blonde hair and an utterly serious personality; but he always knew when to be fun and listen to me when I felt like talking to him. Louis was absolutely awesome. He was always cracking jokes and getting on my nerve almost simultaneously; something I found funny. Zain was such a narcissist. Despite his constant bitching and his distinct obsession with his appearance I knew that he'd always hold a place in my heart. Harry was quite annoying. He was constantly trying to get on my good side with constant flirting that I found a little tiring and tedious at times. But the one I knew I would miss most was Liam. Liam was absolutely gorgeous. His soft, chocolate brown eyes could melt away my fears the minute I stepped onto stage. I have to admit I have a bit of a crush on Liam. Yeah, that's probably an understatement… But there was no way I could tell him. Besides, my ass-holeish behaviour around him probably made him think I was a giant bitch or something.  
 **Liam POV**  
I paced around stage snapping at any little malfunction in lighting or sound, scowling up at the sound booth towards the back. I wanted everything to be perfect for tonight. Hopefully, I'd be able to confess to Zoe about my feelings. I hadn't ever been able to, with her constant shooting me down. Not that I even cared. I knew I liked her, but all I could do was hope that she returned the feelings. I also knew there was more to her than meets the eye. Sure, she made out that she was the queen bee; a perfect princess. A top notch elegant bitch. But I knew there was something more; out of the corner of my eye I saw that she always got on with the other members of One Direction really well, almost as if she had completely dropped her bitchy visage.  
 **Zoe POV**  
"Hey Zoe!" yelled a voice. I quickly whizzed around, hitting pause on my iPod. A familiar figure with a mop of crazy blonde hair came running towards me.  
"Hi Niall," I greeted with a friendly wave, "What are you doing out so late?" He sighed.  
"I couldn't hang around back there, actually…" he replied coolly. "I'm too freaked out at the moment." I nodded sympathetically.  
"Yeah. I keep stressing about who's going to win. Not that I care, anyone could win it." I thought for a moment.  
"Shouldn't you be with the other guys for last minute rehearsal or something?" I asked pointedly. Niall shrugged.  
"Nah, it's cool." He stated uninterestedly. "We've done all the rehearsal we can. All we can do is hope." I nodded in agreement.  
"Now it's all up to the final song and the votes."  
"Best of luck." Niall held out his hand and I shook it. "Same to you." We laughed, and turned back to the studio. As we walked my mind clouded. I almost walked straight smack-bang into the back door, but Niall grabbed my arm.  
"Zoe, you're spacing again!" he exclaimed with a laugh. I shook my head, snapping out of my daze.  
"How long till we have to go on again?" I asked absently.  
"In about 2 hours, gorgeous!" I groaned. A pair of arms wrapped their way around my waist possessively.  
"Off Harry. Remember the rule. Look but don't touch, OK?" I slapped him playfully on the forehead.  
"Ouch!" he complained mockingly. I rolled my eyes.  
"That's what you get, Harry. Now… get… OFF!"  
"Aw, you're no fun Zoe!" he chastised before running off. Niall laughed at me and I glared at him, walking away to talk to my other best friend from the X Factor Cher.  
Cher was roughly two years older than me, but yet she was smaller and more fragile. Her dark brown hair was straightened and done up in a long ponytail, but this gave no indication of her love of rap.  
"Sup Cher!" I greeted enthusiastically, walking up to her in my mock gangster stride.  
"Sup Zoe!" she responded, holding her hand out. We then gave each other our secret handshake.  
"Ready for tonight?" I asked enthusiastically.  
"Sure." We both giggled ecstatically and I left her, making my way into the change room passing Dannii Minogue my friend and mentor in the corridor.  
"Hi Dannii!" I greeted, walking over.  
"Best of luck for tonight, Zoe!" she exclaimed happily. "I know you'll do brilliant, we've put so much work into this!" I nodded happily.  
"All I can do is try my best!" Danni grinned at my enthusiasm.  
"You've worked your hardest, you've picked the songs that you've wanted to sing. I know you'll try your best and I'm always behind you." I blushed.  
"You really mean it?" I asked incredulously. She rubbed my shoulder affectionately.  
"Of course I do. Now, is there anything you need?" I shook my head.  
"No, we're all set!" I said happily. "I've just got to get all the make-up and clothes sorted."  
Dannii grinned. "Looking forward to seeing you on stage!"  
 **Liam POV**  
There she was. Zoe. I watched as her vague expression became one of surprise, her gorgeous emerald green eyes widening as she was quickly pulled into a hug from behind from Harry. I suddenly felt a rage building inside me. It took most of my willpower to stop myself from walking up to him and punching him square in the jaw. Although none of the boys knew how I felt (perhaps aside from Niall, he seemed to be able to read everything written on my face), it was in my mind that a guy's mates should never flirt with his crush, sister or girlfriend. Of course Zoe was just a crush, but I still got angry. Tonight, I resolved, before she went on stage, I would tell her.  
 _ **Fast forward to performance…**_  
 **Zoe POV**  
I was rushed out onto the stage by some of the faceless backstage workers, pushed into the back black curtains surrounding the stage. I breathed in deeply, gathering my nerves.  
"Pssst…" I heard a quiet whisper from the other side of the curtain. My eyebrow creased in surprise and I replied.  
"What?" I shouted quietly. The voice chuckled.  
"I wanted to wish you luck," it said, "I also wanted to confess my true feelings to you." I blinked stupidly. Who the hell was this person behind the curtain?  
"Well, Mr Ghost. Now is a very interesting time to confess your feelings. I'm about to go on stage!" I groaned. "God, now I'm freaking out! I'm so nervous!" I twirled my auburn hair in between my fingers absently.  
 **Liam POV**  
Damn! How could I have been so stupid! To confess my feelings to her now as a mysterious entity… What in the world was I thinking? Now she's all freaked out; she's going to muck up her performance, and she was just about to go on stage! I frowned.  
"Zoe, I'm in love with you!" I confessed, pushing the curtain aside and pulling her into a tight embrace. She turned around and looked at me in amazement.  
"Liam… Say what?" she asked absently.  
"I've been in love with you from the moment I met you at the auditions. Please, do you accept my feelings." She nodded, hugging me back. I pulled her chin up and kissed her passionately. I heard a massive exhaling of breath from all sides. I whizzed around in confusion.  
"What?" I mumbled stupidly whilst looking around. Suddenly it hit me. I was standing on the stage, the spotlights trained to my figure. Zoe's emerald eyes widened like those of a deer caught in headlights.  
"Hello?" she stated vaguely to the audience. "Well, this is sufficiently awkward." The audience erupted into applause. One of the judges that was closest to her, Dannii Minogue, smiled up at us from her seat in the judges panel. As the clapping from the audience died down she began speaking.  
"Well, can I say that you two are absolutely perfect for each other!" she stated. The audience erupted into another round of applause. Zoe and I stood there blushing beetroot red. Simon Cowell scowled at the two of us.  
"Get off the stage, Liam. Unless you're part of the whole act." He said exuberantly, throwing his arms in the air. I just bet he was bitching about me because I was stealing his precious screen time.  
"I think the two are entitled some time to themselves!" Dannii scowled at him. She turned to the other judges, Louis and Cher, who each nodded in succession.  
"I can't allow that!" scowled Simon Cowell. "Zoe, you perform now or forfeit this round of the final week." Zoe squeezed my hand and stepped forward.  
"Mr Cowell, I will take as much time as I like," she fired at him like ammunition. "Besides, I've already won. I've proved to myself that I'm a good musician just by getting this far, and I now have the guy of my dreams." The crowd cheered enthusiastically. Simon nodded absently, waving us off.  
"Fine, fine. Go have your little teenage love." I almost detected tone of… happiness in his voice? But I didn't care. No matter what he thought, or who won this contest, both Zoe and I had already won. 


	56. Chapter 56

**Kayla POV**  
It was a cold and miserable day. But I didn't mind. It was always raining in London, and despite everyone else wanting a 'bearable' cloudy day, I still preferred to just watch the rain fall softly from the heavens to the cold, concreted ground. Such is life. I smiled to myself, flicking my long, jet black hair over my shoulder as I stared out the window of room 24A. No one fully understood the true beauty of rain; it was a life-giver to us humans, we only lived through its falling and the plants it healed in the process of its cycle. Perhaps I am a nature lover, compared to other people, but I don't mind that either.  
"Kayla, are you in there?" my best friend Stacey waved an excited hand in my face.  
"Huh?"  
"Come on Kayla, snap out of it," she giggled, pressing her finger on my nose.  
"What?" I complained, swatting her away.  
"You realize only THE One Direction from X Factor are coming into school today!"  
My eyes widened. They better not be coming to my class, not with the way I was dressed today! This black and grey checkered school skirt and its matching white blouse could be the ugliest of school uniforms even at the best of times. There was no way in hell I'd let _him_ see me in this!

Yes, that's right. For all of you who don't know me my name is Kayla and I have the biggest crush on Zayn Malik. He is the biggest sex god in modern boy band history. He might slightly have two left feet whenever he even attempts to dance, but at least he's not so much of a show-off as Liam is. I love his beautiful hair and especially his dark, alluring eyes. He's also tall, which is a bonus. Even when he's looking nerdy with his glasses on he still manages to pull off the whole I'm-too-hot-that-if-you-touch-me-I'll-sizzle look. He's got everything compared to a plain old English girl like me. Everything. Jeez, when the 'What Makes You Beautiful' video came out on Youtube I did the whole fangirl scream, and then started balling my eyes out because they were just SO HOT!  
So yeah, not the best idea to stick me and One Direction in the same room. I don't know whether I'll faint or get really shy and do something stupid that'll embarrass me for the rest of my life!  
My thoughts were cut abruptly as our annoying maths teacher, Mr Belrose, walked in. Stacey quickly jumped up off the desk and into the seat next to me.  
"Class we have some special guests with us today," he began. Oh crap, I thought, just what I need.  
"Please welcome the boys from One Direction, they'll be sharing our algebra lesson for today!" he continued excitedly. I heard a snort from the other side of the door. Stacey and I turned to each other, stifling giggles. Who in their right mind would enjoy algebra? Honestly. Mr Belrose needed to get a life. Although quite frankly it seemed he'd never get one because he was so nerdy and weird.

The boys walked in. All of the girls started to turn bright red, including me. First was Niall, followed by Harry (at this point Stacey couldn't help but let out a squeak), then Louis, Liam and finally Zayn. I looked up at him, my face paling. For a few seconds our eyes met, a clash of icy blue and chocolate brown. It felt like an eternity, like I was falling into his dark orbs, headfirst into a wide, swirling river. I looked away as quickly as I could; I didn't want him thinking I was some weirdo fangirl that wanted to stalk him. Although secretly I probably did want to do that… One thing I knew was certain, he was _far_ more attractive up close and in real-life than on those beady, pixelated videos I watched of him online.  
The boys all introduced themselves one by one, which earned them some well-deserved screams from the female population of the class, and a few rolled eyes and groans from the males. Mr Belrose assigned the boys to seats, and, just to make matters worse, Liam was placed to my left. I smiled welcomingly at him, muttering a tentative 'hi'. I handed him the algebra pop quiz that was going around the room. This was going to be an awkward, bloody mess.

 **Zayn POV**

I thought it was going to be one of those awfully boring days where all we did was sign random people's pieces of paper they threw in our faces, but turns out I was incorrect. This school was different to all of the others we'd been to in that they actually wanted us to go into lessons. The other ones just had us all sitting down at a boring assembly or singing a song or two, shooing us off afterwards. We actually had to do work! And algebra was just so annoying…  
It wasn't too different in terms of the students though. There were always lots of younger girls following us around like lost-puppies, asking us for either a photo or autograph. Some would faint if they got within 3 metres of us. That was true with most of the girls in this room. They all stared unnervingly at us, boggle-eyed and twitchy. It was actually slightly off-putting.

But there was one girl in the classroom that stood out from all the rest. She had long, flowing black hair and the most stunning, icy-blue eyes I had ever seen. She was quite tall, and looked slightly older than her age. She also seemed very shy; at least compared to her bubbly blonde friend. I sighed under my breath as I heard Liam being placed next to her. Maybe during the break I could go over and start a conversation with her? She seemed like such a sweet girl, and besides, she wasn't drooling on him like other girls would have. She seemed more composed.  
I looked over and our eyes met. Right then, I knew that I was her favourite in One Direction. But that really didn't worry me in the slightest. I would rather have a quiet and sweet girl like her as a fan over those crazy stalker bitches any day. I'm not sure if she felt it too, but I felt something when our eyes locked. It was like something clicked in my mind; like a fragile key fitted into a tiny lock that only I knew about.

 **Kayla POV**

Liam was actually such a sweet kid. Despite his popularity and fame, he seemed like a very fun and laid-back person. He was actually the type of guy I'd have as a friend. But just a friend. He couldn't fill up my heart like _he_ could. The beautiful and eccentric Zayn Malik.  
The bell rang and immediately Stacey turned and smiled widely at Liam.  
"Hi," she said casually, "I'm Stacey, what's up?"  
"Uh, hey," Liam replied somewhat shyly, "I guess you already know who I am."  
"Yeah," the conversation continued, and I cringed as Stacey kept bombarding Liam with random questions. That girl could get embarrassing, but I'd always stick by her as a friend. I jumped when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Hey."  
There was only one person who sounded like that. And that person was _him_. Come on Kayla, don't do anything stupid!  
"Hi," I responded quietly. Zayn pulled up a chair.  
"Ah Zayn," Liam began, trying to weave his way away from Stacey. "How'd you find the algebra pop quiz?" I watched with a nervous smile as Zayn responded quite animated to Liam. I blushed when I noticed that despite he was talking to Liam, his eyes were fixed still on me. Soon, all of the other members of One Direction crowded around Stacey and I, as if we were the only sane girls in the room. Stacey began her rant with Harry. Surprisingly, she didn't look nervous at all. How did she do that? She and Harry looked like they were already like… best friends or something? I sat in silence, watching her with fascination. Zayn cleared his throat somewhere next to me. Finally, he struck up a conversation.

"So, what's your name?"  
"My name's Kayla," I responded nervously. He smiled at me.  
"Woah, that's a pretty name, especially for such a pretty girl like you." I couldn't believe he said that! I didn't know how to respond to him. I felt my cheeks getting even redder than before.  
"Uh… thanks," I said, now intensely interested at my shoes.  
"So, tell me stuff about you," he continued, giving me his sexy smile. "Like… what's your favourite movie? What do you do in your spare time?"  
"Uh… this might sound weird, but my favourite movie is 'The Ring'. I just love horror movies…" I began, turning to him to see is reaction worriedly. But he smiled at me, and my fears instantly evaporated. Here he was, the famous Zayn Malik, and he was accepting a plain, boring girl like me. I instantly gained confidence.  
"In my spare time I often listen to music, or I play softball or volleyball."  
"Cool," he winked. I blushed, a small smile playing at my lips. "I guess you could say I'm also kind of sporty. In our spare time when we're not recording or singing we play soccer."  
"Awesome," I grinned at him. He smiled happily back, handing me a piece of paper. I furrowed my brow, looking down at the paper. I opened it tentatively, revealing numbers scrawled across it in a messy hand. I turned to Zayn, my mouth gaping.  
"Uh… are you sure?" I stuttered.  
"Sure am," he responded coyly, "One doesn't meet a cute girl with an amazing smile like yours everyday." I giggled nervously. Without warning, he leaned in and kissed me gently on the lips. My eyes fluttered in surprise, before closing as I savoured the moment.

As we pulled apart, Zayn and I got a few wolf-whistles from the other boys from One Direction, and I noticed a few of the other girls in the room glaring daggers at me. But I didn't mind this at all, much like I didn't mind the fact it was always raining in London. Somehow, I knew that kiss wasn't going to be the only one I'd receive from my idol, the perfect star, my Zayn Malik.  
I rang him that night, and I've been talking to him ever since. Now he's my boyfriend and we're both all smiles.


	57. Chapter 57

**Meg POV**

My best friend Harry was having a birthday party in a few hours, and I just couldn't wait at all! Why, you ask? Because my Harry was not like regular kids. You want his full name? Sure, it's Harry Styles. Yes, THE Harry Styles from One Direction, that group that came in 3rd at last year's British X Factor. How do you know him? You ask. Well, truth is I've known him ever since we were toddlers. My parents moved house just before I was born, and were happy when they found out that their new next door neighbour was pregnant too. Harry and I were born pretty much at the same time (only 2 weeks apart), so we usually had a shared birthday party because we had the same friends.

But I had never known the other guys from One Direction; I'd only seen them on TV. In fact, Harry was obnoxiously quiet about his friends outside of school. Which got me perplexed. And interested. Not to mention the fact that over the course of the series I'd developed a super awkward crush on Liam Payne, one of the guys. He was totally gorgeous, and I knew Harry must have suspected something… But enough of that, I had to get ready!

I grimaced as I stared at myself in the body-length mirror before me, rummaging through clothes and throwing them around on the floor. I ran a brush hurriedly through my long, semi-wavy red hair, but then decided to whip out my straightener; did Liam like straight or wavy hair? Argh! What the hell was I to do? What if he didn't like me? I growled, frustrated. The door bell rang, bringing me back to reality. I heard pounding as footsteps climbed the stairs.

"Hey Meg, are you ready yet?" there was a knock on the door.  
"Come in," I grinned. The door opened, and Harry stepped into the room, his head of curly hair peaking around the doorway. I glomped him.  
"Heya Harrykins!" I laughed. He scowled. Ever since we were small I decided to call him that, and it just kinda stuck. Not that he liked it or anything, but still…  
"Are you wearing that dress to the party?" he asked as he pointed to the backless black dress hanging on the handle to my wardrobe.  
"Uh maybe… Wanna help me pick out what to wear?" I asked him with a lop-sided smile.  
"Meg, you know I don't really know about girls clothes," he told me. I giggled.  
"And you think I do?" I asked pointedly. "I'm a tomboy, for Christ sakes!"

"Wear the dress," he told me, running a hand through his dark-brown curls. He then looked at me snidely. "Maybe Liam will think you're hot…" I growled at him and pushed him out the door. So he _did_ know! Cripes. And what if _Liam_ knew? As if reading my mind, Harry spoke lightly through the door.  
"No, I haven't told him. I'm not that mean!" he chastised.  
Shuffling could be heard, and after a little while I pushed the door open to an expectant vocalist.  
"So, what do ya think?" I asked sheepishly. Harry smiled widely.  
"You look hawt Meggie!" I raised an eyebrow.  
"You're not coming onto me, are you Harrykins?" He feigned horror.  
"How did you know?" he asked incredulously. We both laughed crazily. The phone downstairs rang, and we mounted the stairs quickly, each trying to beat the other to the noise. I picked up.

" 'Ello?" I asked stupidly into the phone.  
"Hello, Meg. Is Harry over there?" asked Harry's mum. "His friends are already starting to arrive."  
"Yah, he's here. We'll be over in a sec! Kay, Cya Mrs. Style!" I hung up. And then I hyperventilated.  
"Harrryyyyyyy," I whined annoyingly, "I don't wanna go. What if Liam don't like moi?" He shrugged.  
"OK, who gave you the sugar?" he asked angrily. I giggled psychotically. "Me found some hidden in the cupboard about half an hour ago. Guess it only started kicking in just now haha!"He rolled his eyes and dragged me out the doorway.

 **Liam POV**

I tapped my foot as I waited in Harry's living room. I'd never actually been to his house before, oddly enough. It was almost like he didn't want us to find something out, and it kinda bothered me. The other guys didn't really mind at all however; Zayn was pretty much indifferent about it. But he was the only member who'd actually been to Harry's house before. Actually, everyone had been before, except me. Did he have something against me or something? Guess I'd have to ask him when he got back…

As if reading my thoughts, Harry stepped into the living room.  
"Hey guys!" he greeted with a wave. We all nodded in synchronization, Louis firstly followed by Niall, Zayn and then me. I looked up, expecting to see Harry by himself, but he had a girl tucked under his arm. And my God, was this girl hot! She had the brightest, straight red hair that I had ever seen! Her eyes were a deep emerald green and she was just the perfect height. She seemed almost to fill the room with brightness as she walked on in, strutting her stuff with a short black dress that went to her knees. She was wearing opaque stockings underneath with bright red heels to match her shimmering hair. She was absolutely gorgeous; the best looking girl I'd ever seen, and trust me, I'd seen a few. But what happened next surprised me.

"Hey Meg!" Zayn jumped up and wrapped an arm over her shoulder in a hug.  
"Hiya," she replied with a giggle. Louis and Niall got up together and also embraced the girl I now knew was called Meg. I sat there awkwardly for a few seconds. After the greetings were over, she awkwardly stepped over to me.  
"The name's Meg. And you must be Liam, nice to meet you!" she exclaimed, holding out her arm cordially.  
"So, are you… going out with Harry or something?" I asked awkwardly. Why the hell did I just ask that? She smiled in response.  
"Nah, Harrykins is my best mate. We've known each other for like ever! Besides, it would be totally awkward if we had a nasty break-up because we're next door neighbours."

"Harrykins?" I raised an eyebrow in Harry's direction. Man, he was not gonna live that one down! So they were friends. Good. Did that mean she was still single? I sincerely hoped so.

The music started and the party got into full swing. Harry and Meg were dancing around in the centre of the room, surrounded by most of the guys. I watched from the side-lines, wondering whether or not to join in or stand around. Whenever a song everyone knew came on, everyone would start jumping up and down and singing. Meg especially. But I didn't really mind the noise; I knew the guys could sing, but Meg's voice was just amazing. She never seemed to miss a note, and she had perfect pitch pretty much all the time. Her tone was filled with a warm richness, and I would have been fooled if someone told me she was a famous singer. After a while, Harry stopped and walked over towards me.

"Come on, Liam. It's my birthday party and you're totally not joining in! What's wrong?" he asked. I looked over to the makeshift dance floor longingly.  
"It's nothing…" I said absently, my eyes trailing over to were Meg was singing.  
"Ah," Harry said with a smirk, "so you like Meg?" I nodded awkwardly, turning towards the floor so that he didn't see my blush.  
"Uh, yeah. You don't mind, do you?" He shrugged.  
"Truth is she's had a major crush on you since X Factor," he explained, "I didn't invite you over because I didn't want things to get awkward between you and me. I mean, come on. Best friend who has a fan-girlish crush on you would be weird for the both of us." I nodded. "If you're really interested, go ask her out," he continued, elbowing as he stepped by, striding over into the kitchen.  
"Games time!" he yelled out to everyone.

 **Meg POV**

I growled as I watched Harry bring out the Twister board.  
"Dude, in case you haven't noticed I'm wearing a dress!" I exclaimed pointedly. He gave his usual shrug.  
"Yeah well… you can sit out if you want to… Hey, why don't you spin?"  
"Suuuure Harrykins!" I jumped up and grabbed the spinner off him, helping him lay the plastic mat across the floor. I pointed to Zayn. "You first, followed by Niall and Louis, and then Liam and Harry." I blushed a little as I said Liam, but I hid it behind the board. "We'll go reverse alphabetical order!"  
"Count me out." Liam mumbled, before walking out of the room. I raised an eyebrow at Harry, and he pointed to the door.

"Why don't you go and ask what's wrong while we play the first game?" he smirked. I growled at him but gave in.  
"Fine, but if I'm undead from that guy's mood, when I return the others can blame you!" The boys laughed, and I sauntered off.  
"What's up?" I called into the kitchen. The light was on, and Liam sat at the bench, sitting alone. He looked up for a second, met my eyes but then looked down immediately, as if stung. I was hurt. I pulled out the chair next to him and sat in it.

"Look, if you've got a problem with me being here I can just go home," I mumbled. He turned to me in horror.  
"No, it's not you…"  
"Then what is it?" He sighed, turning towards me.  
"You're Harry's best mate, and…" I nodded expectantly.  
"And…?"  
"And I think you're really pretty and I wouldn't mind going out with you if that's OK with you and what if that becomes weird and what if it doesn't work out and I can't be friends with Harry and it'll disrupt One Direction and…" he continued rambling, but I shut most of it out, lost in my own thoughts. Liam… like me? Did he call me… pretty? Or was it just my imagination?

"Stop!" I shouted at him, holding my hands up. He looked down. "Did you just say you thought I was pretty?" I asked quietly. He nodded sheepishly, running a hand through his meticulously straight fringe. I poked him on the cheek.  
"Did you just ask me out?" He nodded again, seemingly unable to form anything intelligible.  
"And you want to know my response, yes?" he looked at me pained.

"Well, yeah. I'll go out with you!" I grinned at him. "But you've gotta stop moping about!" He nodded. We looked deeply into each other's eyes for a second, but it felt like an eternity. He lent forward, and I felt myself drawn in. He planted his lips softly onto my own, and after a while we pulled away.

"You're really sweet, Liam…" I sighed, resting my head on his shoulder. I heard his heart-beat quicken, and without warning a warm sound filled my ears. He was singing just for me!  
"You are so beautiful to me….  
You are so beautiful to me…  
Can't you see?  
You're everything I hoped for,  
You're everything I need,  
You are so beautiful to me…"  
I smiled, and we kissed again. We sat there for a few more minutes, our fingers enlaced, before stepping back out into the wolf-whistling of the boys. We both blushed, but we were happy to be together.


	58. Chapter 58

I've tried playing it cool  
Girl when I'm looking at you  
I can't ever be brave  
Cause you make my heart race

Shot me out of the sky  
You're my kryptonite  
You keep me making me weak  
Yeah, frozen and can't breathe

I nodded my head, my long brown hair bobbing as I made my way towards the library, my iPod blaring in my ears. I flicked my red streak behind my ears as my favourite boyband, One Direction were playing in my head. I had to admit they'd been on repeat for about a week now. Well, at least ever since I bought their debut album, 'Up All Night'. And this was my favourite song, 'One Thing' from that album. It was just so bright and gave me so much hope. There must be at least one person out there that I will be that 'one thing' for. Hopefully. I smiled as I listened to the stunning voices of Liam, Harry, Zayn, Niall and Louis. They seemed so sweet, from what I'd seen on the X Factor last year. Especially Niall.

But why did I like One Direction? It must have been the fact that they're all young and fresh, just like me. Actually, I'm only eighteen and I have just started my first year at university. What am I studying, you ask? The answer is simple. Music and performing arts. I want a record deal. Everything the boys from One Direction have done, that's the type of thing I aspire to do with my life. I love singing, and I play guitar as well. I just love watching my audience to see their response to what I do up on stage. I love how music is able to speak so much to people, to change opinions and emotions of the listeners. Sure, I'm totally not on the same level as One Direction yet; I only busk at shopping centres in my spare time, or get jobs at small pubs. That's about it, but it's still fun, and it's a good starting point at least.

Some things gotta give now  
Cause I'm dying just to make you see  
That I need you here with me now  
Cause you've got that one thing

So get out, get out, get out of my head  
And fall into my arms instead  
I don't, I don't, don't know what it is  
But I need that one thing  
And you've got that one thing

I began singing the lyrics to the chorus as I stepped stealthily into the library, receiving a death glare from the librarian. Of course, libraries were supposed to be quiet places, but this one was anything but. Especially with me around. I giggled and waved over to her, sticking a few study books into the returns chute. I guess I often got away with being noisier than the other university students because I was a music/performing arts student. It was kind of a given I would be loud and annoying. My musings were cut short abruptly as I comically found myself on the floor. There was a thud in front of me. I looked up and my eyes widened in alarm.

"Uh, sorry!" I gushed, lifting myself up off the teen in complete embarrassment. That face looked familiar. Holy crap! I held out a hand to help lift the boy up, but in doing so I tripped over one of my stray exercise books that had fallen out of my arms and onto the carpeted library floor. I landed right on the boy. Lucky I was short and didn't weigh much, it would have been far more embarrassing if I had squished him!  
"Woah, its OK," he said laughing. He lifted me up and propped me up onto my knees. "Here, let me help you." I was completely flustered. _The_ Niall Horan was helping _me_ pick up all of my books.  
"Uh, thanks," I muttered self-consciously. He led me across to an unoccupied table and sat me down, taking a seat next to me.

"So, I see you're a music student!" he said, pointing to one of the books I had borrowed. It had a picture of a violin on the front, entitled 'Music: An Appreciation'.  
"That's right," I said happily to him. "First year."  
"Same goes. Hey, maybe we'll be in the same class." He said hopefully. I nodded and blushed. His Irish accent was so much cuter in real life. "So what's yer name?" he asked.  
"Jacqui," I responded with a nod. "I know who you are already though…" I trailed off. He laughed.  
"I could tell," he motioned to my earphones. "Heard you singing earlier. You have a nice voice." I smiled sheepishly as he complimented me. Who would have thought Niall Horan would be complimenting someone like me? It took me all my willpower not to go all weird and fangirl on him right there.

Now I'm climbing walls  
But you don't notice at all  
That I'm going out of my mind  
All day and all night

Some things gotta give now  
Cause I'm dying just to know you're name  
And I need you here with me now  
Cause you've got that one thing

It had been about a month since Niall and I had first met. It turned out we were in the same class, although we never really sat together. Actually, the rest of One Direction shared my lectures and because of this Niall sat with all the other boys. I always felt eyes on me in our lectures. I certainly hoped they were Nialls'. I even found myself sometimes flashing my grey eyes over in his direction. I knew I was developing strong feelings for the boy, but I wasn't too sure if he reciprocated the feelings. It didn't really matter to me if he did, however, I would be just happy with him being a good, strong friend. Although sometimes I did find myself wondering what would happen if we went to the next level of our friendship.

Every free we had, Niall and I would meet up in the library to study. He was a really good teacher, and sometimes even the other members of One Direction would share one of the small interview rooms with the pair of us. They were all just as sweet as they appeared on the X Factor. It didn't take long for me to become very close to the five of them.

So get out, get out, get out of my head  
And fall into my arms instead  
I don't, I don't, don't know what it is  
But I need that one thing  
And you've got that one thing

So get out, get out, get out of my head  
And come on, come into my life  
I don't, I don't, don't know what it is  
But I need that one thing  
And you've got that one thing

You've got that one thing

One day after a lecture, Niall actually fought through the crowd to find me. I waved at him and smiled as he came towards me. I received a few glares from the other girls in my class. I shrugged them off and twirled my red streak absent-mindedly.  
"Hey Niall," I greeted with a smile. "What's up?" He smiled back, running a nervous hand through his blonde hair. His blue eyes met mine and we watched each other for almost a minute, each searching the other to figure something hidden out. He blinked and leant forward, placing a soft but passionate kiss on my lips. My eyes widened in shock but within seconds I found myself kissing back. After what seemed like forever we pulled apart for air.

"Uh, Niall?" I asked questioningly. He smiled and pulled me into a hug, whispering gently in my ear.  
"Jacqui, I really like you," he began quietly. "I have for some time now, well actually since I first ran into you. You're so talented as a singer and performer. I figured that it was fate that we met, and you're the one thing for me." I blushed and hugged back.  
"Oh, Niall," I squeaked. "I guess I've known all along that I love you!" He kissed me again, gently.  
"I love you too, Jacqui!"

Get out, get out, get out of my head  
And fall into my arms instead

So get out, get out, get out of my head  
And fall into my arms instead  
I don't, I don't, don't know what it is  
But I need tat one thing  
And you've got that one thing

After another kiss we finally pulled apart. He took my hand in his and kissed it, then held it and led me to the next lecture. We received a few wolf-whistles from the other boys of One Direction, who all came bounding up to us.  
"Hey guys!" I greeted with a small wave. They all smiled excitedly at Niall and us.  
"So Niall, finally packed up the courage to ask her out then?" Harry joked. Niall glared at him in feigned annoyance and slapped his arm playfully.

So get out, get out, get out of my head  
And come on, come into my life  
I don't, I don't, don't know what it is  
But I need that one thing  
And you've got that one thing


	59. Chapter 59

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! Look, Charlie, its One Direction's debut album!" My dark haired best friend Vanessa squealed from behind me, drawing the attention of practically every Christmas shopper in the HMV store. I almost joined in, but I'd rather not draw even more attention to myself.  
"Ness, calm down. How much is it?"  
"£8.99," she responded excitedly. "And I've got just enough coins." She squeaked again and pulled a copy of 'Up All Night' off the shelf. I rolled my eyes at her.  
"But you have to get a Christmas present for your brother, still." I told her pointedly. She rolled her eyes at me and giggled evilly.  
"Nah, he can get like… a handmade card from me or something!" I laughed.  
"Well, you're funeral." I pushed a bit of my blonde, shoulder-length hair behind my ear as I followed her to the front desk. I adjusted my glasses and scanned the room, noticing a poster that hung on the wall. I pinched Vanessa on the shoulder and she jumped in surprise.

"What?" she asked angrily. I shrugged, pointing to the poster.  
"Look, One Direction's apparently coming here today to perform." She shrieked and once again bought the whole store to complete silence, all the older shoppers giving us funny looks and a few of the younger teenagers smirking at us. I sighed and quite literally face-palmed. Ness could be such an idiot most of the time and that's why I loved her, but honestly, sometimes I think she just does it for a reaction out of me. The woman at the checkout gave Ness the bag with her CD in it begrudgingly. She was a smart one, and she knew things wouldn't be quiet with the teenage girl in front of her around. She also knew Ness would be sticking around for One Direction, whether she liked it or not.  
"I wonder if I'll be able to talk to Zayn… oh my god he is soooo hot!" she ranted as she took a seat across from the shop.  
"Maybe, Ness… maybe." I commented, trying to calm her down. Seriously, she was so close to losing it and hyperventilating. "You know you're crazy, right?" I told her with a giggle. She nodded like it was obvious.  
"Yeah."

We sat for a while in silence, waiting for One Direction to make their appearance. Suddenly, my phone rang, playing 'Gotta Be You' loudly for the world to hear. Even above the din of the crazy shopping centre, the voices of One Direction could still be heard by people on the level above. I got a few weary glances from people around my age about the music choice. But, as always, I shrugged them off, not caring at all for their opinions. If there was one thing I hated most, it was people dissing other people's music choice. I listened to a bit of everything myself, from the alternative rock of Fall Out Boy to the more mainstream stuff like Lady Gaga. Oh, and of course One Direction.  
My favourite member, well, crush if you like, is Niall Horan. Niall is originally Irish, just like me. I had moved to England four years ago partly for dad's work, but also partly because my parents wanted me and my sister to have a solid, British education. Obviously I never grew up with the young star, but I knew if life had been different, if we had both grown up in the same Irish town, Niall and I would have been the best of friends. We had similar personalities, a similar background, and similar likes. I may not look it, but I sing in the school's choir. I have trouble performing in front of people unless I'm performing with others.

For me, music is a way for people to express themselves, to share personal experience with other people, acknowledge their memories, both good and bad. Music with a good beat was also easy to dance to, and this of course was even better because it meant I got to have fun with friends and create for myself new and fun experiences. Music was my life. I practically had a soundtrack for all my life experiences. I didn't care what people think. My parents don't believe going into the music industry is an amazing feat, but I believe it is. I think I'll be able to make it one day. I grabbed the mobile out of the back pocket of my jeans and stuck it to my ear.  
"Charlie, its me!" my other friend Camilla greeted excitedly. "Apparently One Direction's going to be at the shopping centre. Wanna meet up?"  
"Yeah, I'm already here! And Ness is here too!" I told her, shouting over the sound and flashing lights. Ness gave a shout from behind me and Camilla laughed loudly in my ear.  
"Meet at the front of HMV, yeah?"  
"Sure."

Camilla got there just in time. As we marched over to greet her, familiar, famous faces pulled in beside us. Being spatially challenged as I was, I accidentally marched right into Liam Payne and managed to pull a stack of CDs down on top of us both at the same time as we went to enter the store.  
"Crap… sorry!" I squeaked at him, trying to help him up. He chuckled and reached for me, only to trip over on something else and send us both tumbling back into the CDs. I laughed nervously.  
"Um… sorry! I'm such a klutz sometimes." I blushed, watching as the members of One Direction stood around the two of us, either looking down at us in shock or laughing crazily. Niall was there, but he stood apart from the rest. He looked down at me in surprise, but didn't speak a word. Great, I thought, now I've embarrassed myself in front of the whole of One Direction.  
"Nah, its OK," Liam told me with a laugh and a smile. "Seems you know who we are," he motioned to Ness' CD. "Are you here for our performance?" I nodded.  
"So, what's your name?" He asked politely, lifting me up. I dusted myself up.  
"Charlie," I told him, shaking his hand. "But everyone calls me Char, as in Charmander... you know, the Pokemon…" I trailed off. He nodded.

We all marched over as a group to the side of the store that had been set up before with a small stage. The boys from One Direction all got up on stage and left us to form the first layering of the crowd. Throughout their performance, I kept feeling eyes upon me. I looked up to find _him_ staring at me. Niall Horan. His blonde hair was messily flicked to the side and his blue eyes were gazing intently at me. I gave him a small wave. Harry seemed to notice his friend's attention on me and gave me a knowing wink. They began singing a song from their new album called 'I Want'. I couldn't help but sing along with them. The boys looked down at me in surprise and I gave them all a warm smile. Both Ness and Camilla joined in with me.  
At the end of the concert, the boys let us come with them and ride in their limo. I texted dad and told him I might be a little late getting back. Liam sat with an arm wrapped around Camilla, Ness sat between Zayn and Harry and I sat with the two quieter members of the group, Louis and Niall.  
"So, you girls are pretty big fans of us, huh?" Harry asked playfully. I sighed as Ness began attacking his eardrums with her rants and Camilla happily sat their with her hand and Liam's enlaced. If only I could be courageous and outgoing enough to be able to talk as openly as Ness and be as forward as Camilla. Curse my shyness!

"You're very quiet!" a voice came from beside me. I jumped involuntarily and turned to a chuckling Niall. "Sorry if I scared you." He said. I shook my head and looked out the window, wondering vaguely if the people outside could see inside and assess my situation.  
"Uh… yeah. She's usually quiet around new people!" Ness cut into our short-lived conversation. I blushed and looked down, now more interested in the carpet of the limo than any of the boy's faces.  
"You know, you don't have to be quiet around me!" Niall commented, poking me playfully on the arm. I flinched and almost whacked Louis in the head. All of the boys laughed.  
"Don't do that!" I whined at him. He looked taken aback at first, but stopped as I requested. Instead, he took my hand in his and held it for the rest of the journey, until we all hopped out of the limo and into Ness' house. I was sad to feel his warmth leave my hand.

"Ma, we've got company!" Ness shouted down her hallway. A middle-aged, short and round looking woman marched up to greet us at the door.  
"Ah, Nessie. And we've got Camilla and Charlie here too!" she said happily. Ness' mum was always happy to see us, even when we came by uncalled. After her husband had died five years ago, the woman always filled up the room with her optimistic and accepting personality. It had been hard on her, but Ness' mum had so much strength.  
"And who have we here?" she asked, looking down at her daughter's hand entwined in Zayn's, and then up to all of the boys. "You didn't say you had a boyfriend, Nessie!" Ness giggled and let go of Zayn's hand, a blush staining her cheeks. I smirked as her mum fussed over her daughter and led us all into the kitchen. "I suppose you'll all be staying for dinner then?" she asked.  
"Only if that's alright with you." Of course, Ness' mum had already reached the phone and let Camilla and my parents know we would be staying a little longer. None of the boys could even say no to her, and she was off into the kitchen, preparing dinner.  
"Now, run along! Go and play outside in the garden. It is such a lovely day!"

After a few games of soccer and hide and seek, I had finally opened up a little to Liam, Harry, Zayn, Louis and Niall. Ness' mum made a small bonfire by the edge of the garden and pulled out some old, rusty chairs to sit on. Zayn sat with Ness, Liam sat with Camilla, and Louis and Harry sat together on the side. That left Niall and me together on the opposite side of the fire. I took off my shoes and propped my feet up close to the fire. Camilla pulled a few long sticks from the garden and began poking around in the embers. We each took a stick off her and grabbed a few marshmallows from a packet that sat on a low table. It was a beautiful autumn night. It was close enough to winter to be chilly, but the snow hadn't begun to fall yet so we weren't entirely freezing either. I watched in silence as the marshmallow on the end of my stick turned into a sloshy, gooey mess. Niall was so close to me right now. Never had I even dreamed of sitting with him like this, hands entwined, sharing a large wooden bench chair together. I thought perhaps my mind was playing tricks on me, but when I pinched myself this was obviously reality.

"You have a really pretty voice, you know that?" Niall told me. I glanced up at him, his blue eyes watching me intently. I blushed and turned away from him.  
"No. My voice is nothing compared to yours," I told him sheepishly. He exhaled and pulled me closer.  
"No. I mean it." He began stroking my blonde hair. "I really mean it. Your voice is really beautiful." He cupped my chin with his hand and brought me closer to him, his lips grazing my ear.  
"Your voice is as beautiful as you are." I practically melted into his sweet, accented words. As if trying to prove his point, he brought his lips away from my ear and to my face. He trailed a lingering kiss on my left eyelid and dragged it down, kissing my nose before moving to my mouth. I sighed into the kiss, silently begging for this to never end.  
"Niall?" I asked as he pulled away. He wrapped his right arm around my head and pulled me into his chest, careful not to crush my glasses.  
"Charlie… I think I really like you." I nuzzled into his neck.  
"I like you too, Niall!" I squeaked. We sat there a while longer, content to be in each others arms. I looked over and saw the Ness was in the same position with Zayn, and Camilla and Liam were kissing each other. Harry and Louis sat in the corner talking together ignoring what was happening around them. However, none of it really mattered to me. For once, I felt open and content with my situation. It was such an amazing feeling to be taking in Niall's rich scent. It reminded me so much of home in Ireland. One thing was for sure, we'd be together forever.


	60. Chapter 60

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! Look, Charlie, its One Direction's debut album!" My dark haired best friend Vanessa squealed from behind me, drawing the attention of practically every Christmas shopper in the HMV store. I almost joined in, but I'd rather not draw even more attention to myself.  
"Ness, calm down. How much is it?"  
"£8.99," she responded excitedly. "And I've got just enough coins." She squeaked again and pulled a copy of 'Up All Night' off the shelf. I rolled my eyes at her.  
"But you have to get a Christmas present for your brother, still." I told her pointedly. She rolled her eyes at me and giggled evilly.  
"Nah, he can get like… a handmade card from me or something!" I laughed.  
"Well, you're funeral." I pushed a bit of my blonde, shoulder-length hair behind my ear as I followed her to the front desk. I adjusted my glasses and scanned the room, noticing a poster that hung on the wall. I pinched Vanessa on the shoulder and she jumped in surprise.

"What?" she asked angrily. I shrugged, pointing to the poster.  
"Look, One Direction's apparently coming here today to perform." She shrieked and once again bought the whole store to complete silence, all the older shoppers giving us funny looks and a few of the younger teenagers smirking at us. I sighed and quite literally face-palmed. Ness could be such an idiot most of the time and that's why I loved her, but honestly, sometimes I think she just does it for a reaction out of me. The woman at the checkout gave Ness the bag with her CD in it begrudgingly. She was a smart one, and she knew things wouldn't be quiet with the teenage girl in front of her around. She also knew Ness would be sticking around for One Direction, whether she liked it or not.  
"I wonder if I'll be able to talk to Zayn… oh my god he is soooo hot!" she ranted as she took a seat across from the shop.  
"Maybe, Ness… maybe." I commented, trying to calm her down. Seriously, she was so close to losing it and hyperventilating. "You know you're crazy, right?" I told her with a giggle. She nodded like it was obvious.  
"Yeah."

We sat for a while in silence, waiting for One Direction to make their appearance. Suddenly, my phone rang, playing 'Gotta Be You' loudly for the world to hear. Even above the din of the crazy shopping centre, the voices of One Direction could still be heard by people on the level above. I got a few weary glances from people around my age about the music choice. But, as always, I shrugged them off, not caring at all for their opinions. If there was one thing I hated most, it was people dissing other people's music choice. I listened to a bit of everything myself, from the alternative rock of Fall Out Boy to the more mainstream stuff like Lady Gaga. Oh, and of course One Direction.  
My favourite member, well, crush if you like, is Niall Horan. Niall is originally Irish, just like me. I had moved to England four years ago partly for dad's work, but also partly because my parents wanted me and my sister to have a solid, British education. Obviously I never grew up with the young star, but I knew if life had been different, if we had both grown up in the same Irish town, Niall and I would have been the best of friends. We had similar personalities, a similar background, and similar likes. I may not look it, but I sing in the school's choir. I have trouble performing in front of people unless I'm performing with others.

For me, music is a way for people to express themselves, to share personal experience with other people, acknowledge their memories, both good and bad. Music with a good beat was also easy to dance to, and this of course was even better because it meant I got to have fun with friends and create for myself new and fun experiences. Music was my life. I practically had a soundtrack for all my life experiences. I didn't care what people think. My parents don't believe going into the music industry is an amazing feat, but I believe it is. I think I'll be able to make it one day. I grabbed the mobile out of the back pocket of my jeans and stuck it to my ear.  
"Charlie, its me!" my other friend Camilla greeted excitedly. "Apparently One Direction's going to be at the shopping centre. Wanna meet up?"  
"Yeah, I'm already here! And Ness is here too!" I told her, shouting over the sound and flashing lights. Ness gave a shout from behind me and Camilla laughed loudly in my ear.  
"Meet at the front of HMV, yeah?"  
"Sure."

Camilla got there just in time. As we marched over to greet her, familiar, famous faces pulled in beside us. Being spatially challenged as I was, I accidentally marched right into Liam Payne and managed to pull a stack of CDs down on top of us both at the same time as we went to enter the store.  
"Crap… sorry!" I squeaked at him, trying to help him up. He chuckled and reached for me, only to trip over on something else and send us both tumbling back into the CDs. I laughed nervously.  
"Um… sorry! I'm such a klutz sometimes." I blushed, watching as the members of One Direction stood around the two of us, either looking down at us in shock or laughing crazily. Niall was there, but he stood apart from the rest. He looked down at me in surprise, but didn't speak a word. Great, I thought, now I've embarrassed myself in front of the whole of One Direction.  
"Nah, its OK," Liam told me with a laugh and a smile. "Seems you know who we are," he motioned to Ness' CD. "Are you here for our performance?" I nodded.  
"So, what's your name?" He asked politely, lifting me up. I dusted myself up.  
"Charlie," I told him, shaking his hand. "But everyone calls me Char, as in Charmander... you know, the Pokemon…" I trailed off. He nodded.

We all marched over as a group to the side of the store that had been set up before with a small stage. The boys from One Direction all got up on stage and left us to form the first layering of the crowd. Throughout their performance, I kept feeling eyes upon me. I looked up to find _him_ staring at me. Niall Horan. His blonde hair was messily flicked to the side and his blue eyes were gazing intently at me. I gave him a small wave. Harry seemed to notice his friend's attention on me and gave me a knowing wink. They began singing a song from their new album called 'I Want'. I couldn't help but sing along with them. The boys looked down at me in surprise and I gave them all a warm smile. Both Ness and Camilla joined in with me.  
At the end of the concert, the boys let us come with them and ride in their limo. I texted dad and told him I might be a little late getting back. Liam sat with an arm wrapped around Camilla, Ness sat between Zayn and Harry and I sat with the two quieter members of the group, Louis and Niall.  
"So, you girls are pretty big fans of us, huh?" Harry asked playfully. I sighed as Ness began attacking his eardrums with her rants and Camilla happily sat their with her hand and Liam's enlaced. If only I could be courageous and outgoing enough to be able to talk as openly as Ness and be as forward as Camilla. Curse my shyness!

"You're very quiet!" a voice came from beside me. I jumped involuntarily and turned to a chuckling Niall. "Sorry if I scared you." He said. I shook my head and looked out the window, wondering vaguely if the people outside could see inside and assess my situation.  
"Uh… yeah. She's usually quiet around new people!" Ness cut into our short-lived conversation. I blushed and looked down, now more interested in the carpet of the limo than any of the boy's faces.  
"You know, you don't have to be quiet around me!" Niall commented, poking me playfully on the arm. I flinched and almost whacked Louis in the head. All of the boys laughed.  
"Don't do that!" I whined at him. He looked taken aback at first, but stopped as I requested. Instead, he took my hand in his and held it for the rest of the journey, until we all hopped out of the limo and into Ness' house. I was sad to feel his warmth leave my hand.

"Ma, we've got company!" Ness shouted down her hallway. A middle-aged, short and round looking woman marched up to greet us at the door.  
"Ah, Nessie. And we've got Camilla and Charlie here too!" she said happily. Ness' mum was always happy to see us, even when we came by uncalled. After her husband had died five years ago, the woman always filled up the room with her optimistic and accepting personality. It had been hard on her, but Ness' mum had so much strength.  
"And who have we here?" she asked, looking down at her daughter's hand entwined in Zayn's, and then up to all of the boys. "You didn't say you had a boyfriend, Nessie!" Ness giggled and let go of Zayn's hand, a blush staining her cheeks. I smirked as her mum fussed over her daughter and led us all into the kitchen. "I suppose you'll all be staying for dinner then?" she asked.  
"Only if that's alright with you." Of course, Ness' mum had already reached the phone and let Camilla and my parents know we would be staying a little longer. None of the boys could even say no to her, and she was off into the kitchen, preparing dinner.  
"Now, run along! Go and play outside in the garden. It is such a lovely day!"

After a few games of soccer and hide and seek, I had finally opened up a little to Liam, Harry, Zayn, Louis and Niall. Ness' mum made a small bonfire by the edge of the garden and pulled out some old, rusty chairs to sit on. Zayn sat with Ness, Liam sat with Camilla, and Louis and Harry sat together on the side. That left Niall and me together on the opposite side of the fire. I took off my shoes and propped my feet up close to the fire. Camilla pulled a few long sticks from the garden and began poking around in the embers. We each took a stick off her and grabbed a few marshmallows from a packet that sat on a low table. It was a beautiful autumn night. It was close enough to winter to be chilly, but the snow hadn't begun to fall yet so we weren't entirely freezing either. I watched in silence as the marshmallow on the end of my stick turned into a sloshy, gooey mess. Niall was so close to me right now. Never had I even dreamed of sitting with him like this, hands entwined, sharing a large wooden bench chair together. I thought perhaps my mind was playing tricks on me, but when I pinched myself this was obviously reality.

"You have a really pretty voice, you know that?" Niall told me. I glanced up at him, his blue eyes watching me intently. I blushed and turned away from him.  
"No. My voice is nothing compared to yours," I told him sheepishly. He exhaled and pulled me closer.  
"No. I mean it." He began stroking my blonde hair. "I really mean it. Your voice is really beautiful." He cupped my chin with his hand and brought me closer to him, his lips grazing my ear.  
"Your voice is as beautiful as you are." I practically melted into his sweet, accented words. As if trying to prove his point, he brought his lips away from my ear and to my face. He trailed a lingering kiss on my left eyelid and dragged it down, kissing my nose before moving to my mouth. I sighed into the kiss, silently begging for this to never end.  
"Niall?" I asked as he pulled away. He wrapped his right arm around my head and pulled me into his chest, careful not to crush my glasses.  
"Charlie… I think I really like you." I nuzzled into his neck.  
"I like you too, Niall!" I squeaked. We sat there a while longer, content to be in each others arms. I looked over and saw the Ness was in the same position with Zayn, and Camilla and Liam were kissing each other. Harry and Louis sat in the corner talking together ignoring what was happening around them. However, none of it really mattered to me. For once, I felt open and content with my situation. It was such an amazing feeling to be taking in Niall's rich scent. It reminded me so much of home in Ireland. One thing was for sure, we'd be together forever.


	61. Chapter 61

I'm broken, do you hear me?  
I'm blinded, cause you are everything I see  
I'm dancing alone  
I'm praying that your heart will just turn around

As I walk up to your door  
My head turns to face the floor  
Cause I can't look you in the eyes  
And say…

I squeaked as I almost stacked it walking out to the beach from the small apartment my parents had rented for the holiday break. Instead of the ususal white snow we saw every Christmas break, they had decided it was time for a change; to liven things up a little since I finished high school. We all came to Australia, where the water was cool and the sun beat warmly on everyone. I had gotten the desired results for the end of year exams, and I could get into university next year easily with my marks. I guess this was some sort of reward for my efforts my parents had concocted.

I continued on my way, deep in thought down the narrow paved walkway towards the yellow sand. The sun was shining brightly down upon my dirty blonde hair. Today I had put contacts in, so my bright blue eyes were no longer framed by my black boxy glasses. I was wearing my black bikini and black board shorts, my hair suspended in a messy ponytail above my head.

When he opens his arms  
And holds you close tonight  
It just won't feel right  
Cause I can love you more than this, yeah  
When he lays you down  
I might just die inside  
It just don't feel right  
Cause I love you more than this  
Can love you more than this

It was quite busy, I realized, once I stepped out onto the sand. There were lots of families with their children littered over the soft, white-yellow sand. I looked in amazement at the deep blue ocean that seemed to stretch on for miles, little boats scattered here and there out off in the distance. I smiled like a madman and grabbed my sandals, quickly sinking my feet into the sand. I stuck them in my bag and began running down the sand dunes off to the red and yellow flags.

I flung my bag onto the sand and grabbed out a towel, laying it down on the beach. I was about to run forward, but I came instantly into contact with another body. Stunned, it took me a few seconds to realize what had happened.  
"Sorry," I squeaked, pulling myself up. "I'm a bit of a klutz." I finally looked up to see who I had bumped into. No way! What were the chances of me running into someone famous on the beach? The boy before me was gorgeous. Bright, blue eyes shone back at me as he took in my appearance. His blonde hair was just as perfect and natural as it appeared on the glossy covers of magazines.

If I'm louder  
Would you see me?  
Would you lay down  
In my arms  
And rescue me?  
Cause we're the same  
You save me  
When you leave it's gone again

And I see you on the street  
In his arms, I get weak  
My body feels I'm on my knees  
Praying

"Um, hi?" I blushed, holding my hand out. "The name's Charlie. Uh, sorry!" My cheeks had gone a furious red, my usual self-consciousness taking over.  
"Hi, I'm Niall Horan," the boy told me. I nodded.  
"I know who you are. As you can tell from the accent, I'm actually British." He smiled warmly at me.  
"That's cool! I love meeting fans of ours. Hey, if you don't mind, want to come over and hang with me and the guys?" I blushed again. This was too good to be true.

I picked up my bag and Niall led me over to the other boys. Instantly, Harry started trying to flirt with me, but to no avail. I only had eyes for one of the boys from One Direction. And that was the boy that I had clumsily run into. The boy that was born in Ireland and still has a very cute accent. The boy that is quite short for his age but manages to make up for it with his happy and infectious personality. Niall Horan. But that can't happen. Us getting together. He probably thinks I'm some kind of loser and is hanging out with me out of pity…

When he opens his arms  
And holds you close tonight  
It just won't feel right  
Cause I can love you more than this, yeah  
When he lays you down  
I might just die inside  
It just don't feel right  
Cause I can love you more than this, yeah

The guys and I instantly hit it off, which was more than I could ever have expected. It was so much fun, running around on the sand, making sandcastles with the little materials we had, laughing and having fun letting the little kid inside of us roam free. Liam, Zayn, Louis and I had a massive water fight in the shallows, tossing each other with the salt water and giggling like maniacs.

I guess it was good for the guys to have some time off from the fame back in England. Between interviews, recording and live performances, they mustn't have much time to just goof off and muck about. Their trip is similar to mine in that regard; a change of pace, a summer retreat for a fun-filled Christmas without the snow and dreary wet weather of an English December.  
As the sun was setting, we each exchanged phone numbers and went on our ways.

I've never had the words to say  
But now I'm asking you to stay  
For a little while inside my arms  
And as you close your eyes tonight  
I pray that you will see the light  
That's shining from the stars, above  
And I say…

After about three minutes we had all come together again.  
"Wait, Liam, what's going on?" I asked. He shrugged and looked at me, as he and the rest of One Direction stood under the neon sign that read in pink bold letters 'Surfer's Paradise'.  
"Well, this is the hotel we're staying at," he said, nodding up. My eyes widened.  
"Same here!" I squealed. He just chuckled and held the door for me. I noticed my hand was enlaced in Niall's. When did that happen? I blushed and shifted on one foot. That was unexpected.  
"OK, so where are you guys?" I asked as I stepped out of the elevator. It was Harry's turn to respond.  
"Room 435." I shook my head at him. He couldn't be serious!  
"I'm room 436."

"Awesome!" Louis said patting me on the shoulder. "Hey, seeing as its Christmas tomorrow, how about you come over early and we all unwrap some presents!" I nodded.  
"Sure, but then I'll have to buy you guys something!" Zayn shook his head.  
"Nah, don't worry about it! We can all just have a nice breakfast and head down to the beach!" I smiled at him.  
"Sounds pretty awesome to me! What time do you guys want me over?"

When he opens his arms  
And holds you close tonight  
It just won't feel right  
Cause I can love you more than this, yeah  
Cause I can love you more than this  
When he lays you down  
I might just die inside  
It just don't feel right  
Cause I can love you more than this, yeah

I nervously paced my apartment as the clock ticked closer and closer to 7:00am. I have no idea why I was nervous. Perhaps it was the thought of walking into the hotel room of one of the biggest boybands in England's modern history? Probably. I almost laughed at myself aloud.  
I decided I'd wear my short blue denim shorts with a white tank top. I slipped my pale pink shawl over my head and placed my feet into my bright yellow sandals. I had decided to brush out my hair and leave it out, the golden curls falling to just past my shoulders. I had also decided to leave my glasses on for today. It was now or never.

I sheepishly knocked on the door.  
"Come in!" I heard a group of voices from the other side. I sighed.  
"Um, I don't have a key?" I heard Liam laugh and a shuffling sound from the other side of the door. It was pulled open and I was greeted by a smiling Niall Horan.  
"Woah, Charlie, I didn't know you wear glasses!" I blushed and turned around.  
"I could go stick contacts on if you like…"  
"No, you look nice with glasses." I blushed and gave the popstar a genuine smile. Why did he have to be so incredibly nice to me?

Abruptly, he tilted my head upwards to face him. He smiled, his eyes searching mine.  
"Look, you've stepped under some mistletoe." I blushed madly.  
"Uh…" That was the only thing I could utter, completely entranced by the beauty before me. Before I could further embarrass myself, the Irish boy leant forward and pressed his soft lips on mine. I sighed into the kiss, allowing him to trace his tongue across the insides of my mouth. There was a throaty groan from behind me.

"You two, get a room!" Zayn wolf-whistled at us. I squealed and chucked a pillow from off the couch at him.  
"Well, I believe that answers my question," Niall whispered once he'd caught his breath. "Charlie. I like you a lot, ever since we bumped into each other. I know we only met yesterday, but I was hoping you'd like to be my girlfriend." I nodded vigorously. We both kissed again, and this time I was hit by the pillow.

When he opens his arms  
And holds you close tonight  
It just won't feel right  
Cause I can love you more than this, yeah  
When he lays you down  
I might just die inside (I'm okay)  
It just don't feel right  
Cause I love you more than this  
Can love you more than this


	62. Chapter 62

"No, I don't want to do this…" I kept muttering to myself as my crazy friends led me over to the biggest rollercoaster in the theme park. "Don't make me do this!" I was pretty scared, that you've probably already figured out.

My name's Babo Roberts. And I'm scared of heights. So my friends decided as an end of year outing we'd all go to a theme park. A theme park full of people shouting and other loud things, massive crowds that were easy to get lost in, and finally rollercoasters that went high up enough for me to spontaneously combust into a teary, sloppy mess. All of which I hate with a passion. Seriously, I'd be happier just sitting in my living room watching a movie with the girls. I don't need to be reminded of my long list of fears on a daily basis. But that was the girls. They just _loved_ exploiting my fear and trying to get me killed. And I'm _not_ overreacting. People have died on rollercoasters before, I'll let you know.

I was shoved to the back of the line before the group, the girls all making sure to block the exit.  
"Come on, Babs, I'm sure you'll be alright." I grimaced at Katrina.  
"Yeah, and on what planet would _sane_ people go on rides that have them suspended upside down so all it takes is gravity to rip their head from their bodies!" I yelled. There were a few turned heads. The girls all laughed and I felt my cheeks redden. Great, now I'm embarrassing myself.  
"Haha, that was a funny one!" A few of the boys grouped in front of us turned around. I was about to rant at the owner of the voice with the most smart-ass bitchy comeback I could think of, but I blinked wildly at the sight before me. There they were. Famous people. One Direction, to be exact.  
"Uh, hi?" Well, so much for the smart, bitchy comeback.

"Hi, I'm Harry," the curly-haired boy introduced himself, "this is Liam, Louis, Niall and Zayn." They all waved in turn. "And you girls are…"  
"Katrina!" Kat ran forward and held out her hand, "that's Teagan," she pointed to a short girl with long, straight black hair and green eyes, "that's Mel," she pointed to a girl of average height that had short blonde hair in pigtails and cerulean blue eyes, "and, scaredy-cat over here is Babo… but everyone calls her Babs." I grimaced and twirled a strand of brown hair though my fingers. God, so I'd not only embarrassed myself, but embarrassed myself in front of the biggest boyband in England's modern history, One Direction. Wow, I was _really_ having a good day. Not.  
"Heh. Well, yeah." I stood there awkwardly.

"So, why are you guys here?" Kat asked. She was always the more outspoken of the group.  
"Our manager decided we should have a well-earned break. So we all decided to go to a theme park. This one happened to be the closest." I nodded.  
"So, not sane then." I muttered under my breath. Louis laughed and slapped me on the back.  
"I like this one, she's got a good sense of humor." I groaned and pried his arm off me.  
"No, I believe I happen to be more sane than the lot of you." This earned another round of laughs. Why did everything I say have to be taken as a joke?

It took a while for the line to move forward. It was pretty bust today, and much to my dismay lots of people believed that sitting on a ride that they weren't guaranteed to get off of at the end was a brilliant way to spend the afternoon. But waiting was actually quite fun. I was really surprised. Me, Kat, Teagan and Mel continued talking to the guys from One Direction until we had made it to the front of the queue and were about to be strapped in to out seats. The boys were just like normal guys my age; sport-loving, Pokemon-obsessed geeks. That happened to have an amazing set of vocal chords. OK, so maybe not the last part for normal guys. But God, they grew on me. I knew for certain we'd all stay friends even after we left the park after today.

If you want the details, I won't disappoint. There was one boy that stood out from all the rest, and that was Zayn Malik. I'd always thought of him as a bit of a weakling after watching his trials and tribulations with dance steps on the screen, but in real life he was anything but. He was strong, outgoing, and above all else protective. Actually, he was the only guy of One Direction that took my concerns for riding rollercoasters seriously. We had gotten into a long conversation about our favourite musicians and sports just so that he could ease my worries if only a little. Such a gentleman. And in the short time I talked with him, I found we had far too much in common for it to be legal. And I was falling for him.

He was just so gorgeous, with a perfect personality to match. I loved the way his dark hair stood up, I loved how his dark eyes conveyed so much expression. He also had full, pouting lips. I knew he was a charmer, but in real life it was just too much to bear. He was so sweet, so nice to me. He seemed deeply concerned with my worries. And he tried his best to ease me into the situation at hand. Being brutally honest, he was the perfect guy. Perfect in every way possible. My dream boy.  
So when it came time to get strapped in, I wasn't too surprised to find myself sitting next to him.

"Don't worry Babs, I won't let you die on this thing," he said it jokingly, but I knew he was being truthful. The rollercoaster began its ascent, going higher and higher upwards at a very slow pace.  
"Oh god…" I muttered. I felt sick. What goes up must come down. A wave of nausea swept over me.  
"Zayn, I don't feel so good…" I whispered, completely scared out of my wits. At this point we were up the very top, looking down on the crowds of people that swamped the paved ground below.  
"You right, Babs?" I heard him ask with concern. I shook my head and closed my eyes.  
"Not good… not good at all!" I felt like screaming at the top of my lungs. "Tell me when it's over, Zayn. Please?" I was pleading him now. God, I'm such a nervous wreck.

I felt a hand on mine. I clung on to it for dear life, probably effectively cutting off the circulation of the hand's owner. I still hadn't opened my eyes, but I knew whose hand it was. Zayn Malik.  
"Don't worry, we'll be alright. It'll be better if you open your eyes so you can see what's going on."  
"I'd rather not," I growled at him. He chuckled.  
"So, when we're flying upside down, you'd rather not see? If you did see you would know we were almost finished the ride." I opened my eyes and turned to him.  
"OK, so maybe I do want to see then…"

And with that remark, we came plummeting downwards. I could feel the wind lapping at my face, whipping my long, dark brown hair through the air behind me. I paled.  
"Oh shit…" I muttered, grabbing on to Zayn's hand tighter. "Don't let go!" I screamed at him. He chuckled and smiled sweetly at me.  
"You know I won't."  
We came spiraling downwards, doing several loop-de-loops at ridiculously high speeds before pulling in to stop. I screamed and cried the whole way down, much to the guys from One Direction's amusement. I guess they finally realized I was being dead serious before.

Finally, my feet were back on solid ground. I gave an audible sigh of relief.  
"So, you're really scared of heights then?" Liam asked. I gave him a WTF look.  
"No shit, Sherlock. What gave it away? Was it the me screaming and swearing part, or was it something else and much more profound?" Liam shrugged and laughed at me.  
"Actually, it was the screaming and swearing part," he mused.  
"Hey, if you're so scared of heights, then why did you go on the ride?" I gave him a glare, then turned to the girls.  
"You think I could get past that lot?" I asked matter-of-factly. He laughed at me.  
"Yeah, guess not."

Before the conversation could continue, however, Liam was nudged by Harry. Harry nodded down to my hand and Liam followed his gaze. I sat there in puzzlement. Liam winked at me.  
"What?" I growled. He chuckled.  
"Well, looks like Babs and Zayn got pretty close, huh?" It was Niall to finally point it out. I looked down at my hand. Surely enough, Zayn's hand was still connected. I turned to face him.  
"Sorry, Zayn!" I squeaked, removing my hand and shaking it out. "I forgot I was still holding your hand." He smiled kindly at me and grabbed my hand again.  
"You know, I kind of like the feeling of your hand in mine," he said with a smirk. "You're really cute, Babs. Want to go out sometime?" I paled. Wait, what? About ten minutes ago, I thought I was going to die. How did all this change around so quickly?  
"Sure," I replied. Zayn gave me a soft kiss on the lips and stuck a piece of paper with his number written on it between my fingers.

I guess I don't mind heights too much anymore. I mean, it's kind of hard to dislike something that's caused me so much joy. Zayn has been an amazing boyfriend these past few weeks. Yes, it may only be weeks but we're going steady and doing just fine. He's as sweet and caring as always, and he knows not to push my limits.  
I can't hate theme parks, rollercoasters, or loud places anymore. Not after meeting the boy of my dreams.


	63. Chapter 63

"Remind me why I'm seeing this stupid movie with you again?" I asked loudly. My friend Emma just shrugged.  
"We like horror, and you don't. Therefore, because there are more of us than you, we see horror." I growled at her and smacked her playfully on the head.  
"Em, I'm not _that_ stupid. But seriously. Why this movie? It looks dodgy and creepy and… just eww." Emma and the other girls laughed at me.  
"Come on, its only called Chain Letter. It was out last year, but it didn't have long in the cinemas so they decided to screen it again for this week. Don't be too scared, I'm sure you'd guess the plot by now. You're smart like that."  
"Yeah, I'm guessing some people are stalked and then they have to pass on a chain letter or something and there's probably some murderer in it as well. Probably if they don't pass on the letter the murderer will kill them." Emma slapped me in annoyance.

"Oh my God, Belle, just go and ruin the whole storyline for us."  
"I wasn't ruining it, and I could be wrong anyways. I was just using the conventions of horror film. Everyone knows that there's a murderer or at least some kind of morbid killer in a horror film. What's more, using the title, and BAM! There you are, simple but effective plot line."  
"But knowing you you're 100% right."  
"Oh shut up. Why couldn't we just watch the Notebook?" I asked pointedly. She shrugged.  
"Half of us have seen that already."  
"Damn."

Petty conversation was ended as we all shuffled into the cinema. Although it was already passed dinner I had decided to buy myself a large popcorn. Well, you could always empty out the contents of the container on the floor and stick it on your head in the scary bits. Which is probably what I'll do. So we all marched in and took our seats. And, as luck would have it, I was sitting dead in the middle.  
"I'm not liking this," I mumbled to myself, taking my seat. But then I turned around and noticed a hot guy sitting next to me.  
"OK, maybe things are getting better," I muttered under my breath.  
"What?" the guy turned to look at me. He had dark hair that seemed to defy gravity. Woah, he must use a stack of hair gel. He also had gorgeous, large and expressive eyes. Total hottie. But I could have sworn I recognized that face somewhere.  
"Hi!" I said, holding out my hand. "The name's Belle Tyler. And just so you know I'm really not good with horror movies so I might commando roll over you for the exit later." The guy gave me a warm smile.  
"I'm not good with horror either. I was dragged here by my friends." He nodded to a group of boys. A whole bunch of more familiar faces.  
"I'm Zayn Malik," he whispered the name in my ear. "Nice to meet you Belle."

The lights were dimmed and the movie began rolling. It was scary from the word go. First thing you see is a woman with her legs chained to two cars. Her head is covered in duct tape, and fear radiates as she realizes where she is. A man starts the first car, unaware of what will happen if he leaves. A second woman watches, tries to warn the man, but she's too late. In the first five minutes I'm already cringing.  
"Jesus Christ," I cuss under my breath. I tilt my head to see if Zayn's alright with this, but he's just sitting there staring, wide eyes. I grabbed his hand and gave it a tight squeeze.  
"I'm going to get nightmares," he whispers to me. I nod vigorously.

We both turn to once again face the movie. It's about halfway through, and my prediction was correct. Some girl called Jessica receives a chain mail from her friend Rachael who got it from her brother. And now she's all concerned because people are dropping dead around her. And those are the people she chain mailed. There's a particularly graphic scene, and it's going to be stuck in my head for at least the next decade, if not longer. There's a man, presumably one of Jessica's friends, called Johnny. He didn't send the message on. So he's in a gym, doing what you usually do in gyms. He stoops to get a drink from the water fountain, and BAM!, he's smacked in the back of the head repeatedly by some creepy hooded guy that reminds me of a Death Eater from Harry Potter. But that's not all. Oh no. He's chained by his arms and legs to a gym set and slowly you hear cracking sounds as his bones are splintered. And for the sake of keeping you sane I'll stop there.

"Zayn, I can't stand this, so I'll be doing that commando roll over you now." He grinned at me.  
"Thought you'd never leave. But I'm coming with you, I don't like this and I quite frankly don't want to see the ending of this," I nodded, throwing the leftover popcorn across at Emma.  
"I'm ditching you guys, have fun." I grabbed Zayn's hand and he led me out of the theatre, to do things more civilized.  
We walked across to the nearest coffee shop and he ordered for the both of us.  
"My treat," he told me. I raised my eyebrows and smirked at him.  
"You're totally in love with me," I said jokingly. He laughed and took a seat.  
"Haha, maybe." The response confused me. Maybe he did like me? No. There could be no way. I'd only just met the guy. I knew like… nothing about him.

"So…. Tell me about yourself," I ordered him. He laughed.  
"Well, you already know my name. Uh, I'm Muslim. Half Pakistani and obviously half English." I nodded. "I like sport, and uh… singing." There was more he was going to say.  
"OK. Well, I'm Christian. All English, although my mum says there's some American blood in there somewhere which amounts to pretty much the same thing." I thought for a second. "Likes include dancing, making friends, reading… obviously not horror movies…" I giggled at myself. Man, I sounded so girly.  
"Cool." Our hot chocolates were brought to us. Zayn had also ordered a small slice of banana bread.  
"I know it's a bit late, but you think you could go halves with me?" I nodded.  
'Thanks, but you don't have to pay for it all." He shook his head.  
"Nah, it's the least I can do. After all, you are keeping my company out here." I smiled at him.

It was then I decided to ask the question.  
"So… singing, how's that going?" I asked. He looked down and I noticed his ears redden. "Woah, don't get the wrong idea. I think its cool you're a singer. Not many guys do it, so it's cool to be different." He smiled warmly at me.  
"Thanks," he mumbled, taking my hand. "This is a secret, but I'm going to tell you anyway." I nodded.  
"Well, you know the X Factor…" I nodded, thinking. Cripes. Realisation finally hit.  
"You don't need to tell me anything else. I recognize you now," I said, poking him like a crazy person. "You're like… famous! That's so cool!" He chuckled.  
"And there I was thinking you had no idea who One Direction was." I blushed and hid myself in my scarf.  
"Hey, I knew you guys looked familiar! That's got to count for something." He laughed.  
"You know, you're really sweet…" he trailed off. I blushed profusely.

It was a moment perhaps the both of us knew was coming. He and I both leaned forward, so that our noses were touching. I closed my eyes and he did likewise, so that our lips finally came into contact. After a few seconds we pulled away, gasping for breath. He tasted sweet, like hot chocolate with marshmallows and melted butter. I realized I was falling in love with him.  
"Wow, that was nice." I told him, squeezing his hand. "Want to do that again?" I asked flirtingly. He gave a smirk.  
"There's plenty of time to do that later." I sighed. "Right now the movie's probably finishing, so we should head back. But here." He handed me a slip of paper. "Keep in touch, beautiful?" I blushed.  
"Well duh."

So we headed back, hand in hand to the cinema. My friends and One Direction were tapping their feet on opposite sides of the theatre. I giggled. The girls hadn't realized just how close they were to One Direction. It was actually quite funny. When we finally walked through the front doors eyes widened.  
"Wait… Belle and Zayn Malik?" Emma said with wide eyes. I laughed at her.  
"Em, I've got to say thanks for suggesting we go to a horror movie. I wouldn't have met Zayn otherwise." She looked at me, eyes still wide.  
"Um… so what happened?" she asked.  
"Well, I ditched you and had hot chocolate with Zayn Malik." I smirked at her. "And I got his number!" I said flirtatiously, waving the slip of paper in her face. "He's going to be my babe."

Zayn was doing the same with his 'friends' that I now recognized as the rest of One Direction. He looked over at me with a smile on his face.  
"So I got to go out with a hot girl after I ditched you guys," he told them all.  
"Belle." He called me over, grabbing my hand. "You guys should see her smile…" he trailed off. I giggled and hugged him.  
"Shut up Zayn, I'm not that amazing," but even as I said that, my bright blue eyes were bursting with happiness. "You're the hot one."  
All my friends stood there flabbergasted. As did One Direction. This was going to be quite a relationship indeed.


	64. Chapter 64

You know I've always got your back girl  
So let me be the one you come running to, running to, running  
I say this, cause it's a matter of fact girl  
You just call my name  
I'll be coming through, coming through, I'll get coming

On the other side of the world  
It doesn't matter, I'll be there in two, I'll be there in two, I'll be there in two  
I still feel it every time  
It's just something that you do  
Now ask me why I want to

"Hey Alex, how's it going?" I sighed on the other end of the phone.  
"Hello Niall. Things are good here. Well, things are as boring as usual. How are things over in London? I know you're all famous now, that must be fun…" I heard a chuckle on the line.  
"Yeah, fame has its perks. Like, I get to perform all the time." I grimaced. I should be happy. It was always my best friend's dream to become famous and sing as a career. Winning the X Factor had helped him make it this far already, and I knew he'd keep moving further with that ambition of his. But still… I'm not happy about it.  
"Well, just checking up on you. I've got an interview in an hour so I have to go. See you later."  
"See you…" But he had hung up before I could respond.

Feeling down in the dumps, I ran a hand through my long, dirty blonde hair as a makeshift brush. I piled it up on top of my head and tied it into a messy bun. He'd forgotten. He'd completely forgotten about my eighteenth birthday that was today. It was the first time in years I hadn't spent a birthday party with my best friend with me. It felt different… strange. I didn't like it.  
"I miss you, Niall," I whispered to the wall. It seemed he was too caught up in his little world to need to keep in touch with a plain old Irish friend like me. He'd moved to England a few years back, leaving me in this old, boring Irish village. But because England and Ireland were so close, it didn't take long for either of us to travel and see the other. We both frequented the trainline often, taking turns to catch one each way and back and forth across tracts of land. It took a while, but it was well worth it.

It's everything about you, you, you  
Everything that you do, do, do  
From the way that we touch baby  
To the way that you kiss on me  
It's everything about you, you, you  
The way you make it feel, new, new, new  
Like every party is just us two  
And there's nothing I could point to  
It's everything about you, you, you  
Everything about you, you, you  
It's everything that you do, do, do  
It's everything about you

Let me just explain a few things. Niall and I have grown up together. He lived right next to my grandmother, and because my parents often went into Dublin for work I would stay with her. We are only months apart in age, so naturally we became the best of friends, often jumping over the old wooden fence that ran through the two houses to hang out. After my parents died in a car crash a few years ago it was my grandmother that took me in, so I became closer and closer to Niall. He was there when I needed him the most.

It was a small village we grew up in. Niall went to St. Mary's College, a private boy's school, whereas I, having only my grandmother to rely on for school fees, went to the public school Mullingar Community College that was cheaper. But this didn't matter. When we had free periods we'd skip out and go grab some fish and chips at the local shops. Our schools weren't too far apart and I only remember being caught once. After school we had a specific rendezvous point where Niall and I would go straight when the bell rang so we could walk home together.

Yes I like the way you smile with your eyes  
Other guys see you but they realize that it's my, my loving  
There's something about your laugh that makes me wanna have to  
There's nothing funny so we laughing no-no-nothing

Every minute, it's like a last so  
Let's just take it real slow  
Forget about the clock, that's tick-tick-ticking  
I still feel it every time  
It's just something I have to do  
Now ask me why I want to

It was a few years back when I realized I was starting to feel different feelings for Niall. Probably when we both hit puberty. I started noticing certain… things about him. Physically and mentally. I noticed he was attractive, not only physically, but also his personality. He had beautiful, straight blonde hair that fell in just the right places. He had such a cute, heart-shaped face that almost matched mine. His blue eyes always seemed to capture me. Often, I would find myself falling deep into his gaze. His personality was also so much like mine. I had so much in common with him; the same likes, dislikes, friends. We were practically twins. I remember once we were mistaken for twins in a shopping centre in London; that was before he became famous.  
But the problem was Niall had no idea what effects he was having on me.

I remember a dark time when Niall had a girlfriend. I was so jealous and I didn't understand why I was jealous. I didn't talk to him for about a week. Even when we walked home, we were dead silent. I didn't know what to say. But it ended just as quickly as it began. Niall got upset with her because she didn't want him hanging out with me. I started talking to him again, grateful that my friendship was worth more than a girl any day.  
But now things are different. It's not like he's going out with someone; rather, he's busy doing what he wants to do. He doesn't have the time for someone like me anymore.

It's everything about you, you, you  
Everything that you do, do, do  
From the way that we touch baby  
To the way that you kiss on me  
It's everything about you, you, you  
The way you make it feel, new, new, new  
Like every party is just us two  
And there's nothing I could point to  
It's everything about you, you, you  
Everything about you, you, you  
It's everything that you do, do, do  
It's everything about you

"Hey, Alex. Please come out of your room. We have visitors," my grandmother called, knocking on the door. I growled and sat myself up off the bed. I stretched out my arms and got up, heading for the door. Quickly looking in the mirror, I noticed I looked a complete mess. All I was wearing was my plain white tank top over a bra and my short-short pyjama bottoms. Oh well, it would have to do I guess.  
"Coming," I yelled back at my grandmother. I pushed open the door and walked down the hallway towards the front door.  
"Who is it?" I gasped. Standing before me was Niall Horan, and the rest of the guys from One Direction. Of course, I'd met them all before.  
"Niall! You said you had an interview? What are you doing here?" I screamed excitedly at him, slapping him on the arm.  
"Well, I couldn't miss your birthday now, could I?" I smiled at them, ushering them all in the house.

My grandmother, turns out, had known about this surprise all along. She had phoned Niall and told him I missed him and was feeling down. I sat on the couch between Liam and Louis, flicking through channels on the television. There were plates filled with nuts and lollies all over the coffee table in front of me, and somehow a cake had materialized out of nowhere. Seriously, I didn't see that in the fridge half an hour ago.  
"Well if you're all going to hang out here we might as well put on a movie," I groaned, noticing there was absolutely nothing on. "There isn't too much on the television tonight."  
"Sure, stick the Spongebob movie on!" Niall yelled with a grin. He knew that was my favourite movie to watch with him of all time. It was just so stupid and goofy, just like us.

And you have always been the only one I wanted  
And I wanted you to know without you I can't face it  
All we wanna have is fun  
But they say that we're too young  
Let them say what they want

It's everything about you, you, you  
Everything that you do, do, do  
From the way that we touch baby  
To the way that you kiss on me  
It's everything about you, you, you  
It's everything that you do, do, do  
Like every party is just us two  
And there's nothing I could point to

After a while, Niall pulled me out of the room and into the kitchen so we could speak in private.  
"What is the problem, Niall?" I asked. He smiled his usual sweet smile at me.  
"I just wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday. You're eighteen now, and my age. I also… have a question to ask of you…" I looked at him expectantly.  
"Go on…"  
"Alex Hastings, I love you. Be mine?" he asked. I squealed. What? Did Niall actually feel the same way about me? All this time, I was suppressing my feelings around him so I wouldn't hurt our friendship! Why?  
"Niall Horan… yes, of course!" I kissed him passionately on the lips. He kissed back, breaking away a minute later for air. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he breathed in my scent, resting his head in the crook of my neck.  
"Truth is Alex, I've liked you for a long time now. But it's really hard getting passed that grandmother of yours!" I giggled.  
"You mean my Gran didn't let you ask me out all this time?" He nodded. I cracked up then and there.  
"My goodness, Niall. You're so silly! She was probably playing around. Because she knew I liked you all this time as well."

It's everything about you, you, you  
Everything about you, you, you  
It's everything that you do, do, do  
It's everything about you


	65. Chapter 65

**Taylor Blake POV**

"God Harry, get off!" I squealed, trying my best to swim out of his reach. The rest of the One Direction boys all looked at us like we were crazy, excluding Liam. He looked… jealous? Perhaps I was a little too close to Harry Styles in a bikini.  
Yes, that's right. I'm in a swimming pool with the hottest teen superstars, One Direction. But I guess that's just one of the best things about being me. I grew up with Louis, so I knew him before he got famous. And because of that, I got to meet all the other guys. They were all such dolls. Zayn was like a big brother to me, always protective. Louis was the funny one, always cracking some wise joke. Niall was quiet most of the time and shy, so I had fun picking on him. Then there was Liam and Harry…

I couldn't put my finger on it. Both were like rivals when it came to spending time with me. Harry once told Liam that I was waiting for him at the train station, when instead I was actually scheduled to go to a movie with Harry… alone… It was funny when Liam got back. He was completely pissed when I told him what had happened. But it wasn't like it was my fault! Harry must have just mixed it up or something.  
"Oi Zayn, give me a hand here would ya?" I yelled. Zayn sighed and swum across, pulling me away from Harry. I thanked him with a nod and jumped out of the pool as gracefully as I could. I grabbed my rainbow towel and wrapped it around me.  
"So, who's for ice-cream?" I yelled. Everyone was out of the pool in a second. "I call Niall shouts!" Niall sighed and took out his wallet, knowing better than to fight with me.  
"Fine…"

 **Harry Styles POV**

Damn, Taylor just knew how to play all the cards right. She was flirty, cute, and above all else looked hot in a bikini. The manager of One Direction had decided we could all have a weekend off, so he bought us tickets to a beach resort. He was going to come too, but one of his superiors called, and the ticket went to whoever me and the guys wanted to invite. And that happened to be her. Taylor Blake. Tall, gorgeous, with perfectly straight brown hair that fell just to her bottom and the most stunning blue eyes I'd ever seen. She had curves in all the right places, and in that black bikini.

God, it turned me on just thinking about it. That material was thin and barely covered her. God, such a flirt. Call me a testosterone-filled male teenager all you like. I want her to be my girlfriend, but there's a certain someone standing in my way. Liam Payne. We're best mates. And we're after the same girl. I see the way he looks at her. I see his brown eyes travelling up and down her body whenever she's not looking. He tries his best to always be with her, to take the time I could spend with her away from me. Yes, he's my friend. I can honestly say I do appreciate the friendship we have, both in general and as fellow music artists, but seriously. She's worth more than that.

 **Liam Payne POV**

I scrunched up my nose as I watched Harry yet again pull Taylor into a warm embrace under the surface of the pool. I felt like smacking him. Girls don't like to be touched like that, not by friends. I mean, come on! I understand that he likes her, but he needs to have at least some level of decency. He should be more appreciative of her feelings. I don't know if she likes me or him better. It's all very confusing. But even if I knew she did like me I wouldn't be climbing on her like that. I'd be more gentle and reserved. It's better that way, especially in public.

Harry's too impulsive. Harry can also be too possessive. And that's just what he's trying to show me by clinging to Taylor like that. He's trying to tell me to lay off, to leave her all to him. But I won't give up. I have feelings too, and they bend to her. Yes, she'll always own my heart. Even if she does pick Harry over me…

 **Taylor Blake POV**

"Choc-chip ice-cream, yummy!" I yelled, skipping down the pavement. Luckily I brought my sandals, otherwise my feet would be burning like Louis'. He's walking on the grass beside me. "Best flavor!" I continued skipping, licking the cone as I went.  
"What do you guys wanna do after this?" Louis asked. I shrugged.  
"Well, there's a table tennis set in the Rec Room of the hotel, right?" I asked. Zayn nodded.  
"Yeah, that's what I heard. We should have a game." I smiled maniacally at him.  
"I'm gonna beat the crap outta you, Zayn!" He shook his head.  
"I don't think so." We continued arguing all the way back to the hotel. Luckily, no one pulled us over because they were famous, which was a nice change.

Once we got up to the hotel room I grabbed a pile of clothes and ran to the bathroom, having a quick shower before getting changed. I stuck on my favorite bright red demin skinny jeans and stuck on my black 'Darth Vader' t-shirt. Yep, looking damn epic. I stuck on my converse and walked out of my room, only to run straight into Liam.  
"Hey Liam, what's up?"  
"Uh, well, I was just wondering if maybe you'd like to…" But before Liam could finish Harry and swooped down the hallway.  
"Ready for table tennis?" Harry asked, wrapping his arm around me.  
"Uh, yeah. Liam, you were saying something?"  
"Nevermind…" I looked at him quizzically. That was very unlike Liam. Usually he just said what he wanted to say. Something was up.

 **Harry Styles POV**

That was too close! Liam almost, _almost_ beat me there. I'm going to have to keep a closer eye on him and Taylor. I have to beat him! Maybe after the table tennis? Yes, that sounds like a good time. She'll be caught completely off-guard by it. And it gives little time for Liam to launch an attack. This is war!

 **Liam Payne POV**

Damn, Harry! Whenever I'm just about to ask her out he always gets in my way! I was so close, but now she knows something's up with me. I'll get another chance, I'm sure of it. But, I'm going to have to make sure I beat Harry. If I don't I'll lose her. And to him.

 **Taylor Blake POV**

"See, I told you I was gonna win!" I shouted at Zayn. He growled and tossed the racquet on the table in exasperation.  
"I totally had that game!" he told me. "Rematch?" But before we could start another game, I heard a groan from behind me. I turned around quickly.  
"What's going on?" I asked. There he was, Liam Payne hunched over on the ground, holding his nose with Louis looking at him in concern. Harry and Niall didn't seem to notice the commotion, caught too deeply in their own game.  
"Ouch," he moaned. Louis crouched on the ground next to him.  
"I'm sorry mate. I guess I just don't know how strong I am."  
"Damn right," Liam responded angrily.

"What happened, guys?" I asked, crouching beside them.  
"Well, I went in for a shot," Louis began, "but I guess I'm uncoordinated… I kind of threw the racquet thing at Liam's face." Liam groaned again. I chuckled.  
"Come on Liam, let's get some ice on that," I said, picking him up. He happily took my hand and I led him out of the room. I took him back upstairs to my room, sitting him down on the couch. He took his hand off his nose and I examined it carefully.  
"Good news, it's not broken. You'll still have that pretty face for the cameras," I joked. He snorted at me. I ran to the cupboard and grabbed out a bowl, half filling it with water. I emptied out a tray of ice cubes into it.  
"Here, stick your nose in there." He nodded.

"Hey Taylor, what I was going to say before…" he trailed of. I looked at him.  
"Yeah?"  
"Well, I really like you. Like, I like you as more than a friend. So I was wondering if you'd want to go out with me some time?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Liam liked me?  
"Yes," I said with a grin. "I totally will! That's so awesome!" He smiled and stuck his nose in the bowl.  
"Uhm, thanks with all this…" he said sheepishly. I giggled.  
"Not at all!" I gave him a peck on the forehead. "You're so cute when you're hurt."

 **Liam Payne POV**

Finally, I'd done it! And I'd beaten Harry! I was feeling so overwhelmed. She likes me. She accepted me. And even if she meant it as a joke, she also called me pretty and cute. I now know I've made the right choice, confessing to her. She's the one for me.

 **Harry Styles POV**

I looked over my shoulder to see how Taylor was doing.  
"Um, guys. Where did Taylor and Liam go?" I asked, trying to hide my anger.  
"Upstairs. Liam got hit in the face by Louis, so Taylor took him up to go get fixed up. Why?" I shrugged.  
"Just wondering. Hey, maybe we should all head up for a break?" I suggested. Louis and Niall nodded.  
"I'm getting tired anyway."

How could Liam do this to me? He knew full well that I liked Taylor and wanted Taylor all to myself. And now he's with her alone in a hotel room. Way to stab a guy in the back! I ascended the stairs quickly. I hope there's still some time…

 **Taylor Black POV**

I jumped a little as I heard a knock at the front door.  
"Coming!" I said, walking to the door. I opened it to see a puffed-out looking Harry, with Niall, Zayn and Louis in tow. "Oh, its just you guys," I said, pushing the door open more. "Come on in!" Louis marched straight over to Liam with a mouthful of apologies. Liam just waved it off. Once everyone had sat down on the couch, I decided it was time for an announcement.

"Well guys, I have some special news," I said, scanning the faces before me. "Well, Liam just told me he likes me, so we're officially boyfriend and girlfriend!" Louis, Niall, and Zayn all smiled at me. I leant across the coffee table to Liam and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek. Harry looked extremely annoyed. I stared at him long and hard, my ocean blue eyes searching his emerald green. I watched him for a moment, and he looked away, embarrassed. We had reached an agreement of some sorts, just by looking at each other.

 **Harry Styles POV**

I looked at Taylor long and hard. All I could see in her eyes was happiness. I thought for a moment. Maybe her and Liam being together wasn't so bad after all? She looked so happy… almost complete sitting next to my rival. Was this decision for the best? Perhaps I was just being selfish, wanting to have her all to myself. I guess all along I knew this sort of thing was coming. Liam truly loved her, and I should be happy that they're both happy.  
I sat there, resigned.  
"Well, that sounds awesome!" I told her enthusiastically. "But you two have to find me a girlfriend next!"


	66. Chapter 66

**Nikki POV**

"Louis Tomlinson, get your ass in here, now!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, running around the apartment. I was seething. Sure, my flat mate may be famous, but he's a famous ass, content on stealing all of my stuff and using it for himself. This time, the hair spray.  
"What did I do this time?" he asked, continuing his button mashing. The boys of One Direction were having a massive Pokemon battle, taking on each other in groups and plotting strategies in whispers as they played the Wii. I marched into the room with the empty can.  
"This is what you did!" I growled, stepping in front of the television. A few of the guys groaned at me for getting in their way.  
"Dude, I bought this half a week ago, and you used it all up! You better not be using my hair straightener too!" I continued ranting, the others all looking at me.

"Uh, Nikki, that was me, sorry," Liam managed to utter, terrified. Did I really look that scary?  
"Yeah, see? Wasn't me, so apologise!" Louis said in his usual annoying voice. I growled at him and dragged him into his bedroom across the hall.  
"I'm your flat mate, not your housekeeper. Make your friggin' bed!" He gave me a quizzical glance.  
"So, you actually come in my bedroom." I glared at him.  
"Yes, I have to! Honestly, how am I supposed to get all your clothes cleaned when you never stick them in the basket?" He shrugged exasperatedly.  
"Sorry Nikki. I'll try harder. I promise." I growled at him.  
"You are so impossible!" He laughed and ran back to the main room to his game, the bed entirely forgotten. I shook my head. He could be such a jerk sometimes, but there were so many reasons why I still stayed here. For one, I was hopelessly head-over heels for the boy.

Yes, like most of the girls my age, I was in love with one of the members of One Direction. Louis was crazy. Sometimes completely impossible, ridiculous, and time-consuming, but I loved him. He was always the funny one, charming his way into my heart. Whenever I came back from university upset with something or other, when he was here he would always cook for me and make me feel so much better. He was sweet, kind, loving, and above all else a pleasure to be around. And because of this I could never stay mad at him for more than a minute, no matter how thoroughly he had messed up or ruined something. I have an easygoing personality naturally, but being with Louis took it to the next level. He was the only person that had the power to evaporate any negative emotion from me, and he always made me happy without fail.

It wasn't just his personality that ensnared me in his web. I also felt some kind of strange physical attraction to him. Everyone in England just about knew he was gorgeous, a boy endowed with quite a handful of physical beauty. His hair is a beautiful light brown to dirty blonde colour, and his eyes a deep blue that reminded me vaguely of icebergs. He's tall, standing about a foot or two higher than myself. His skin isn't too pale or too tanned either. The perfect boy, well at least in my eyes.  
But I guess he would never know this. We'd been sharing an apartment for a few months now but he'd never made any moves on me, and I really didn't see that he liked me any more than a mere friend. Liam, Zayn, and Niall knew this. I didn't trust Harry too much with it though. He's just such a loudmouth. I was content with his friendship for the most part, but sometimes I just wished that we had something more…

 **Louis POV**

"God, Louis. When are you going to ask her out?" Harry asked me exasperatedly, "it's obvious you both like each other. You two fight together like an old married couple." There were a few nods from the other boys.  
"Nah, she doesn't like me like that." Liam raised and eyebrow and I raised an eyebrow right back.  
"What?" I asked.  
"Oh, nothing," Liam responded, engrossing himself in the game. "I think you should just give it a go. It doesn't hurt trying. You might be surprised." I gave him an interested sideward glance.  
"Wait… so she does like me?" I asked surprised. Liam growled and continued playing.  
"I didn't say anything…" I heard him whisper into Zayn's ear. In the unexpected quietness it became very obvious the boys knew something that I didn't know. Hmm, I guess I should listen to Liam's advice. After all, time and time again he's been the wise and knowledgeable one of the group.

I knew they were right. I was really close to Nikki, but the trouble was I didn't know if she liked me. I loved her tall, slim figure, her long brown wavy hair that formed a halo around her pale face, her ocean blue eyes that expressed so much emotion all the time. We'd started off just as flat mates; she was the only person that didn't act strangely around us all because we were famous. I guess over time and after getting to know her better I developed very strong feelings for her. She was beautiful, kind, considerate, just the type of girl that I was looking for.

 **Nikki POV**

"There, all done!" I congratulated myself, finally stepping out of Louis' bedroom, located just across the hall from mine. I had straightened the sheets, made the bed, taken his dirty socks off the floor and folded the clothes that had been dumped all over the carpet into a neat pile. Finally, the room looked just about liveable again. But I guess I was slightly biased at my handiwork. I walked out of the room, tossing the socks into the laundry pile. As a female, I did all the cleaning around here. Louis was so busy most of the time anyway, so I didn't mind it. I stuck on a load of washing and walked out into the kitchen.

"You guys hungry?" I asked, grabbing a loaf of bread off the counter. I pulled out the sandwich press and began buttering bread.  
"Yeah," came a chorus of excited yells.  
"There's cheese, ham, tomato and salami. I'm guessing you guys all want cheese?" Niall and Liam came dashing into the room.  
"Yes please," Niall said in his cute Irish accent. Liam nodded and began helping me by cutting up the tomatoes. These two were always the most helpful. Liam stacked the slice tomato on a chopping board, next to the cheese slices. After a few minutes, Zayn and Harry came in to join us. The boys all helped themselves, sticking their sandwich creations in the press, sitting across the other side of the bench in wait.

"Guys, where's Louis?" I asked. Zayn shrugged.  
"I think he went out." I groaned and grabbed out my phone.  
"He better go buy some more bread and milk, or we'll be out." I mumbled to myself, texting him in capital letters. He could have at least told me he was going out so I could give him the shopping list.  
"You know, Louis really likes you." Zayn pointed out, snaking an arm around me from behind.  
"Psh, no." I responded gleefully. These boys could be so funny.  
"Nikki, I'm being serious." And he was serious. I only ever heard that tone of voice when he was explaining something or telling the truth. "Just wait…"

 **Louis POV**

I walked into the jewelry shop that sat across from the train station. As it was snowing, I wrapped my scarf more tightly around my neck. The door clinked and I felt a rush of warm air.  
'How can I help you?" a kind voice came from behind the counter. I walked over and looked at the jewelry before me.  
"Hi. I'm looking for something for someone very special to me," I told the shopkeeper. She gave me a warm smile and pointed down at her stock.  
"Well, we've got necklaces, charm bracelets and charms, as well as rings. What is the occasion?" I blushed a dark crimson.

"Well, she's a very good friend of mine, but I want her to know I like her more than friends like… I don't know how to explain…" I said sheepishly. The lady gave me a wink.  
"I think this is the one for you." She pulled out a drawer and took out a heart-shaped locket, showing it to me. "See here, you can open it and place in a photo of you and her," she explained, holding it out for me to take. "On the front is a small engraved butterfly. You see it there?" she said, pointing. "It doesn't cost too much, though I'm sure it will have a lot more value once you place some pictures in it." I nodded, taking the locket in my hands.  
"I'll take it," I said, handing over a wad of notes. "Keep the change."  
After I left the shop, I took out my wallet and slipped out a photo from one of its many pockets. It was a picture from when we first met. She and I had decided that we would take a picture together as not to forget whom the other flat mate was. It was trivial, funny even, but it worked so well.

-

I opened and closed the door quietly and I stepped stealthily into our shared apartment. I quickly ran into my room, hiding my footfalls as best I could, and grabbed a pair of scissors off my desk. I cut the photo into the proper shape, careful to make sure the edges were a perfect fit when placed in the locket. I held the locket in my hand and made my way to the kitchen, hearing the commotion of the usual lunchtime routine the boys had when they came over.

 **Nikki POV**

"Louis, you're back. Did you get my text?" I asked, handing him a plate. I wasn't sure when he would return so I made a toasted sandwich for myself. But I felt bad with him not eating anything while all of the other boys were, so I decided to hand him the plate. They were still growing boys, and I knew they ate an awful lot to help with the puberty. Especially Harry. I swear that kid could eat a horse!  
"No, but I got something better," he told me. I scowled.  
"We need milk and bread. I guess I'll have to go down to the super market later then…" I mumbled to myself.  
"Only if you let me come with you." I squeaked. How had Louis managed to weave his way through the messy kitchen only to snake his arms around my neck?  
"Louis, what are you doing?" I asked. He kissed me on the cheek.  
"Fixing something."

I heard the clink of a clasp from behind me. I looked down, noticing a beautiful, intricate piece of silver jewelry hanging from my neck.  
"…What's this?" I asked him in surprise.  
"Open it." He instructed. The other boys were watching me intently. The locket clicked as I opened it, and there we were, Louis and I holding hands, shaped like a heart inside the locket. There was also a tiny strand of hair.  
"Louis?" I questioned. He pulled me into a tight hug.

"Nikki, I love you. I always want to be with you. Will you be my girlfriend?" I gave him a goofy smile.  
"What's with the hair in the locket?" I asked him. He scowled at me.  
"Stop it, you're ruining the moment!" he growled, flicking me on the forehead. I chuckled at him.  
"OK, I love you too!" I told him, kissing him on the forehead. "…But seriously, what's with the lock of hair?" He shrugged.  
"Well, in all those Rom-Coms people stick hair in lockets. I thought it meant something?" I laughed at him.  
"I was just joking around! It means a lot to me Louis, thank you." We both smiled at each other, two sets of blue eyes locking together. He grabbed my hand and pulled it into his.  
"You do realize sticking your hair in a locket meant you died?" Harry chimed in. I slapped him. Hard.  
"Idiot!"


	67. Chapter 67

I, I wanna save you  
Wanna save your heart, tonight  
He'll only break ya  
Leave you torn apart, oh

It's a quarter to three can't sleep at all  
It's overrated  
If you told me to jump, I'd take the fall  
And he wouldn't take it

All you want is under your nose, yeah  
You should open your eyes but they stay closed

 **Kiley Dunlop POV**

"Fine, I'll try to be there as quickly as possible," I mumbled into the phone. It was my boyfriend, Jared. He always wanted me with him, regardless of whether or not I wanted to be with him. He was smothering me, always making out that I was his possession to all of his testosterone-driven friends.  
"Come at 3:30," he told me. I looked at my watch. That gave me about half an hour to get back, and I was only about twenty minutes away, assuming I'd catch the 3:05 train. That got me home about five minutes early.  
"Yes, Jared, I'll be there 3:30. I love you." He hung up. I sighed, sticking the technology back into my backpack.

Jared was an interesting character. He had the air of a rebel, with piercings shot straight through as many points in his ear lobe as possible. He was tall with dark hair swept into a long side fringe, and equally dark coloured eyes.  
I have to admit I don't like him all that much. But he loves me. Or at least, that's what he tells me frequently. Everything about Jared is clockwork. He's always asking to do things by the half hour. It's odd, but I guess it's just a habit of his. He's nice and kind for the most part, but he's very possessive of me. He's always making out to his friends that I'm a 'catch'. I understand that's a part of being a male and being in love, but sometimes I wish he treated me more like a human being, not something he owned.

But he loves me… I'm not sure if I love him back. He's hard to read, a difficult boyfriend that I hardly know anything about but manage to spend so much time with. We share an apartment, which also makes it difficult to get out of this relationship. I don't know what to do. He loves me, but I don't know how to tell him I don't return his feelings…

I, I wanna save your  
Wanna save your heart, tonight  
He'll only break ya  
Leave you torn apart, oh

I can't be no superman,  
Before you I'll be super human

I, I wanna save ya, save ya, save ya tonight

 **Liam Payne POV**

I watched as my best friend Kiley answered her phone, her gaze lowering as she recognized the number on the screen. It must be him…  
Jared, her boyfriend, doesn't approve of us hanging out. Yeah, I have feelings for her, but I won't steep as low as to steel his girlfriend off him! Seriously, I may be famous but I'm not an arrogant prat like some superstars. And I won't tell her she's in the wrong relationship, because friends are supposed to be supportive.

Jared is not the right type of guy for Kiley. For one she's far too kind for a jerk like him. She's gullible and naïve and actually believes that he sincerely loves her. I know he doesn't. He's just using her because of her beauty. Who wouldn't want to have a gorgeous woman hanging off their arm? And she is beautiful. Her emotions are always written perfectly in her large, emerald green orbs. She's got a lovely face that matches her exquisite personality, with few freckles that grace her cheeks, her face framed by long, straight brown hair that glinted red depending on the lighting. Jared… he's purely using her, plain and simple.

I keep thinking she'd be better off with someone else, someone like me. I appreciate her not only for her looks, although yes, I do find her attractive. She's funny, an amazing person to be around. She always manages to bring a smile to my face whenever I see her. But I can't tell her how I truly feel, at least not until she leaves Jared. I don't want to ruin our strong friendship…

Oh now you're at home  
And he don't call  
Cause he don't adore ya  
To him you're just another doll  
And I tried to warn ya

What you want, what you need  
Has been right here, yeah  
I can see that you're holding back those tears, tears

 **Kiley Dunlop POV**

I waved to Liam as the train slowly pulled out of the station. He was always such a bright person, always smiling and having fun. Someone who sincerely enjoyed life to the fullest. He had a really cute smile…  
"No," I told myself, whacking myself on the head. "You've already got a boyfriend." I truly did like Liam, more than a friend. But I was with Jared, I couldn't be with two people at once! Plus, Liam only thought of me as a friend, right? Love is so confusing.

Once I had finally made it up to the 3rd floor of our building, I clicked my key into the apartment and pushed the door open. I was about ten minutes early. The train had passed by the stops quicker than I had expected. Oh well, he wouldn't mind if I was early, would he?  
"Jared?" I called out. It was unusually quiet in our usually loud living room. Usually, at this time Jared would be playing World of Warcraft, sitting himself on the couch in front of the television, laptop buzzing and headset on, screeching commands to people also playing the game overseas. The television would of course be blaring in the background, usually with MTV on. But it was deadly quiet.

"Jared?" I called again, this time louder. I heard a shuffling sound from the bedroom, and a few cusses. "Jared?"  
"Don't come in!" he shouted from the other side of the door. I furrowed my brows. That was odd. Usually he was happy for me to come into his room; actually, most of the time he persuaded me to sleep in the same bed as him seeing as we were together. I know what you're thinking, and no, we didn't go that far with it. He wants to, but I'd rather not just yet. He's not the right one for me… I opened the door. I stood agasp. Why was there another girl in his bed?

I, I wanna save your  
Wanna save your heart, tonight  
He'll only break ya  
Leave you torn apart, oh

I can't be no superman,  
But for you I'll be super human

I, I wanna save ya, save ya, save ya tonight

 **Liam Payne POV**

"Kiley?" I asked surprised. Here she was, standing on my front porch, a duffle bag filled with clothes and her personal belongings in it. There were tear stains riding all the way down her cheeks. "What's wrong?"  
"He… he cheated on me, Jared…" she trailed off. "I thought he loved me!" Tears threatened to fall again. I instantaneously pulled her into a tight, comforting hug. I was completely seething. Why would someone break my Kiley's heart? She was much more important and special than some slut you'd pick up at a bar. I vaguely wondered how long the other two were seeing each other. It could have been ages; Kiley was just too trusting.  
"Shh, it's alright. You can stay with me as long as you need. Please, come inside." I led her into the house. She looked a complete mess.

"I'm going to kill him," I mumbled to myself. She heard me.  
"Why?" she asked. "I thought you two were friends." I gave her a wary sideward glance.  
"Truth is, Kiley, I hate him. I hate him for taking you away from me and I hate him for doing this to you." Her eyes widened, the tears stopping as she stood there in surprise.  
"What do you mean?" she finally managed to choke out.  
"I mean I love you. I always have. But you were with him before I got the chance to ask you out…" She looked at me, those big emerald green eyes looking completely bewildered.  
"Liam… I never loved him, and he obviously never loved me," she began, holding back tears, "…but there's one thing I know I love, and that's you!" I kissed her passionately on the lips. She and I stood kissing for what felt like hours, before finally we both had to break apart for air.

"Well, I guess its sorted then. You're coming and moving in with me," I whispered in her ear. She merely gave me her best warm smile.  
"I love you, Liam."  
"I love you too, Kiley. We'll go on over and get the rest of your stuff tomorrow." I was over the moon to have the girl that I had always wanted in my arms.

I, I wanna save your  
Wanna save your heart, tonight  
He'll only break ya  
Leave you torn apart, oh

I can't be no superman  
Before you I'll be super human

I wanna save ya, save ya, save ya tonight


	68. Chapter 68

**Preom POV**

"Screw you guys, I'm going home!" I yelled, trying to copy Eric Cartman from South Park.  
"No Kitty, this is my pot pie! No Kitty, no, no!" Louis continued. We both giggled. Today I was helping the guys from One Direction write some song lyrics for an upcoming album. The first one had sold amazingly in not only England but all over Europe, the US and even Australia. You must have heard of it? 'Up All Night'. And trust me, were we up all night trying to create it.

Let me explain a few things. My name's Preom Carter, and I'm the daughter of One Direction's manager. Dad's always bringing the guys home to sort out advertising, sale figures, or just songwriting like today. Only few of the songs on their first album were actually written by them, instead most by professional songwriters. But this time round the boys wanted to try something different, and I guess a lot more people would buy their album if they were all self-written songs as well. So here we all were, brainstorming lyrics, but being idiots while we were at it.

I've known the boys from One Direction pretty much since their debut. They're all incredibly funny guys, especially Louis. Louis is completely random most of the time, making references to bananas or other strange household objects at the drop of a hat. I've never actually seen him be completely serious, except for this one time. He was talking with the other boys about something when I left to go to the kitchen to grab a snack bowl. When I came back they were all crowded around, conversing in hushed whispers. But the minute I stepped back in the room he was his usual bright, crazy self. Weird.

 **Louis POV**

It was really fun being with Preom. She's almost as crazy as I am, and she's always able to make me laugh. I especially love the way she smiles after I make her laugh. She's also very talented; Preom can take amazing photographs of whatever is before her, even if its really bad, and make it beautiful, she's an amazing lyricist, she even helped a little with 'Up All Night'. She's never afraid to do something stupid and screw around with me and the guys. Even though we're famous now, she treats us like regular human beings.

She's also very beautiful. Her black hair is silky smooth, and if the light is right it shimmers an oddly iridescent blue. Her dark brown eyes remind me of chocolate dipped strawberries, and whenever I look into them for too long I find myself entranced. She's perhaps my best friend outside of One Direction now, and definitely the only girl I would frequently hang out with. But, she mustn't have any idea though of how I truly feel about her…

The truth of the matter is I was falling for her. She was just such an amazing person; she entranced me with her looks, her humour, and her crazy idiosyncrasies. She was awesome, and I really wanted to be with her for the rest of my life. When I was talking to the boys earlier, they all agreed that we should go out. We were like a match made in heaven. Zayn told me that he suspects she might have feelings for me as well, and I trust him. He's always been better at reading people and situations than any of the rest of us.

 **Preom POV**

"Hey, chuck us some sugar!" Louis grinned at me. I growled and stole the bowl from the centre of the circle that we had formed sitting cross-legged on the carpeted floor.  
"Noooo, you'll go crazy mode. And you know what happens then!" I scowled at him. "Sugar is for me!" I smirked at him, shoving a Snickers into my mouth.  
"Bitch!" he yelled jokingly. I feigned anger, but threw him over a Freddo. "Brain food!" The other guys all laughed at us.  
"What?" I complained, slapping Liam on the shoulder.  
"Ouch!" he yelled at me.

"Now kids, what are you doing?" my dad called from the other room. I grimaced.  
"Daad, the guys are already old farts, not kids!" I yelled back. Well, it was true. I'm only sixteen years old, but the guys were all eighteen or nineteen now.  
"But you all still act like little children!" he shouted right back. I chuckled.  
"Yeah. I guess so!" Niall called. I poked his pale skin with my dark skin.

"Haw, haw. Your accent is so funneh!" I loved weird British accents, even though Niall was Irish. I wasn't actually born over here in England. I'm from Bengali, which is kind of in around India and Bangladesh. Dad moved here with his work, bringing the family with him, which is just me and mum. So, being Bengali as you can guess I have pretty dark skin, dark brown eyes and black hair. Pretty typical for my race, but you don't come across too many Indian people in greater London…

 **Louis POV**

"Preom, can I talk to you for a second?" I asked sheepishly, pulling her away from the gang into the kitchen.  
"Sure, Louis," she responded. "But if I'm not back in the next five minutes Zayn's gonna know you finally snapped and murdered me," she joked loudly. I shook my head at her.  
"Seriously? Why would I want to kill you?" I asked, continuing the joke.  
"I don't know. I freak you outtt!" She dangled her fingers in front of my face, looking like a Dementor. Niall cracked up from behind us.  
"Hurry up then, you two!"

I walked Preom into the kitchen.  
"I've been meaning to ask you something for quite some time…" I mumbled to myself. She just stared at me, her dark brown orbs studying me closely.  
"You're being serious, Louis. Its really weird." She punched me playfully on the arm with a giggle. "What's up?"  
"Well… I really like you. I… uh… I was wondering if you wanted to go out?" Her eyes widened in surprise. Surprise? So I was right. She never knew that I liked her more than friends. But did she like me back?

 **Preom POV**

I was getting slightly freaked out. Louis was not being normal. He was standing there, watching me with almost fear in his eyes. I'm so used to seeing him acting like a complete idiot, I never realized he actually had a serious side. I wanted to see him as his usual, playful self. Did I do something wrong? Does he not like me?

"Well… I really like you. I… uh… I was wondering if you wanted to go out?" My eyes widened. Say what now? Was _the_ Louis Tomlinson, the playful boy that I'd grown so close to over the past few months, just ask me out? Did he somehow know my feelings for him?  
No. No he didn't. That much was visible in the way he held his posture; back slanted sideways, eyes watching me in such a way. Complete and utter seriousness. But my answer would be yes. I just felt like toying with him a little first…

"Louis. I thought you liked a girl that eats carrots?" I questioned him, poking him on the forehead. "At least that's what you said in the video diaries. And you know, I don't like carrots. Are you sure you want to leap into a relationship with a girl that doesn't like carrots?" He gulped. Woah, he actually fell for the joke. This was going to be funny.  
"Furthermore, what about Mary? You love Mary, don't you. I would want you to cheat on her." His face was priceless. I finally burst out laughing.

"I'm only kidding, idiot. I'll totally go out with you!" Finally, his features returned to normal. He broke into a wide, lop-sided smile.  
"Preom, that was mean!" he complained, patting me on the head. "…But I'm glad you want to go out." He pressed his lips to mine and I melted into the kiss. He was a good kisser; his lips caressed and nibbled my own until I gasped. He slipped his tongue into my mouth to assert some of his dominance. I growled and battled him.

I heard familiar voices from the other side of the kitchen door.  
"Vas happening?" Zayn cooed, stalking his way into the room.  
"Why, looks like Louis and Preom are playing tonsil hockey!" Harry chided, pulling me away from Louis.  
"Come on, we've got some lyrics to write up!" Liam pouted, pulling me back into the other room.  
"But…" I growled at him. He smirked at me.  
"Unless Preom and Louis want to go get a room?" He winked. Louis and I flushed several shades of red.  
"Screw you guys, I'm going home!" I yelled.  
"You're already home." Niall pointed out.  
"Shaddup."


	69. Chapter 69

He takes your hand  
I die a little  
I watch your eyes  
And I'm in riddles  
Why can't you look at me like that

When you walk by  
I try to say it  
But then I freeze  
And never do it

Today was the day of my school formal. After six long years at the same high school, it was time for all the students to finally have some fun; a time for all to celebrate their achievements and friendships that they'd developed with other members of the student body over the years. But here I was, not dressed up in some fancy dress, but in my favourite knitted oversized sweater, denim jeans and a plain white t-shirt. Nothing flash. Nothing special for such a momentous occasion. After all, not everyday do you graduate from high school with all your friends.

Don't get me wrong, I was going to the formal; it was just difficult for me to get changed into anything other than what I was wearing right now. About a week ago, I was climbing the tall tree that stood outside my bedroom window. It was a tall oak tree, and there were lots of branches that went upwards in a spiral. It was easy to climb; often I would find myself up in the higher branches with a book in hand, reading to my heart's content, happily alone. I'd been doing this sort of thing for years, whenever I got the chance, but I guess I was just unlucky that day. I fell out and broke my leg.

My tongue gets tight  
The words can't trade

I hear the beat of my heart getting louder  
Whenever I'm near you

My date was supposed to be Liam Payne. Yes, the Liam Payne from One Direction. We go to school together at the City of Wolverhampton College. Well, used to. I guess we don't anymore since we're graduating. I've known Liam since the beginning. We've always been in the same class for just about every subject, over every year.  
I'd asked him to be my partner. We're good friends, and I thought we could go together as friends. So we were going to, but then this happened. I didn't want to ruin his fun, so I told him if he had to he could go find somebody else to take. And he did.

At first I was a little hurt that he'd taken my advice, but I'd gotten over it. I wanted to go under the premise as friends. But he didn't know how I truly felt about him. Yes, I'm in love with Liam Payne. Who isn't? He's perfect. Smart, funny, kind, sensitive, protective. Anything and everything you'd look for in a guy. Of course other girls wanted to grab him quickly after they knew he was free…

But I see you with him slow dancing  
Tearing me apart  
Cause you don't see  
Whenever you kiss him  
I'm breaking,  
Oh how I wish that was me

And there he was, dancing before me. He looked so handsome in his black tuxedo, the bow tied around his neck suiting him perfectly. He was dancing with a tall girl I'd never met before in a crimson red dress. It was short and sexy and I wondered if he was turned on by her…  
I was sitting on the sidelines, minding my own business. No one else was sitting, all were twirling around the dance floor, enjoying themselves and having fun. Everyone but me.

"I only wish he knew…" I mumbled to myself, staring at him and his partner. He looked like he was having so much fun, but I felt my heart shattering little by little. Didn't he realize the power he had over me? Didn't he realize he'd stolen my heart so long ago? If only he knew. I wish it was me out there, dancing with him. I wish I could be the girl that he had his arms wrapped around, such an intimate gesture that screamed love and romance to me. My grassy green eyes continued to follow him a little longer, before I turned back to the other side of the room. If I kept watching him, I'd only be hurting myself further.

He looks at you  
The way that I would  
Does all the thing, I know that I could  
If only time, could just turn back  
Cause I got three little words  
That I've been dying to tell you

"Maggie? You look upset." There he was, the boy of my dreams, sitting down next to me.  
"No… I'm not upset," I responded with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. "You look like you're having a lot of fun."  
"But it's no fun without you." He mumbled. I was surprised.  
"No. It's fine. You know I can't dance," I said, pointing to my foot. "Please, have as much fun as you can for the both of us." He smiled, and made his way back to the dance floor. I sighed and stared at him from behind. Why did everything have to happen to me?

"You look ridiculous, Maggie." I recognized that scornful voice. It was Nick. He was dressed up neatly, although I knew he was still going to be as malicious as always. Nick, sadly, had also shared all of me and Liam's classes. He always bullies me. One, because I'm short, and two, because I'm always quiet. Apparently quiet is such a turn-off. I don't like him. He's bearable, but only just. I don't like him, and I don't trust him. And now he's here, trying to rub my misfortune in my face.

But I see you with him slow dancing  
Tearing me apart  
Cause you don't see  
Whenever you kiss him  
I'm breaking,  
Oh how I wish that was me

"So, your boyfriend decided to ditch you then?" Nick smirked at me, taking a seat. "Too bad. I guess I'll have to keep you company instead." He placed a hand on the inside of my thigh.  
"What are you doing, Nick?" I screeched at him. He planted a sloppy wet kiss on my left cheek. I smelt something on his breath. No.  
"Nick, you've been drinking?" I half asked half stated. He growled and nibbled on my ear lobe. I tried to suppress a moan, feeling used and disgusted with myself.

"Stop it, Nick!" I yelled, trying to push him off. But he kept on coming. There was nowhere for me to go. I couldn't get up and leave because I could hardly walk. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me onto him, clinging to me with his muscular arms so I couldn't get away. I tried my best to wriggle free.  
"Nick, don't." He merely chuckled, grabbing me tighter.  
"No," he began, "I think I'm going to have you all to myself." I kept trying to break away.  
"Let me go, Nick!" I yelled. But no one seemed to hear me, everyone engrossed in their own separate groups. Suddenly, I felt a sting on my cheek. He'd slapped me, the bastard!

Feel with my hands on your waist  
While I dance in the moonlight  
I wish it was me  
That you call in your room  
Cause you wanna say good night

Nick brought my face towards his with both hands and forced his tongue into my mouth.  
"Mmmph!" I tried pushing at his chest, managing to only distance him a little from me. He growled and slapped me again.  
"No, Maggie. I believe you belong to me. Where's your Liam to save you now?" He was right, I looked around, and surely Liam was nowhere to be found. My eyes widened. Perhaps there was some truth to his words?  
"No one wants you. You're worthless. Liam doesn't need you, so you'd better just give up. Let me take you." I started tearing up. What if he was right? What if no one wanted me? No one seemed to notice a quiet girl like me anyway.

"What's going on here?" Finally, I was ripped away from Nick's arms. "Nick, what are you doing to Maggie?" It was Liam's voice. Liam Payne, my knight in shining armour.  
"Liam…" I choked out, burying my face in his chest.  
"What did you do?" Liam repeated, this time louder and angrier. Even I was intimidated by the tone in his voice, and I had done nothing wrong.  
"Just warming her up for you." Nick scowled, deciding to step down. "Have fun, Maggie. But this isn't the end of it."

Cause I see you with him slow dancing  
Tearing me apart  
Cause you don't see

"Maggie, are you OK?" Liam asked, staring down at me. I nodded. He ran a comforting hand through my dark brown hair.  
"Yeah… I guess…" but Nick's words still weighed heavily on my heart.  
"Liam. Thank you for saving me from him. But he'll be back…" I mumbled. Liam shook his head.  
"I won't let him do anything like that again." I stared at him.  
"He was right about me, Liam," I whispered to him. Liam looked at me in confusion.  
"What exactly did he say to you?" he asked gently. I shrugged and sat back down on my chair. I was suddenly very interested in the floor down below.  
"He said I was worthless. No one needs someone like me in their life, especially someone like you." The words stung as they exited my mouth.

I looked up, noticing the anger behind Liam's eyes. I eyed him questioningly.  
"Liam?" I asked. He picked me up and carried me out of the hall and outside, to the place where we would often spend lunch times together, talking about anything and everything. He sat me down under a tree. Tonight, one of the gardeners had put a string of bright lights through its branches, casting an eerie yet beautiful glow over our skin.

"Maggie. Nick doesn't know what he's talking about," he told me with fervor, "You are a very special and important person for me. I'm just embarrassed that it took for something like that to happen to finally understand my own feelings…" I looked at him in confusion.  
"What are you talking about, Liam?" I asked.  
"I love you." I gasped.  
"Liam, I…" I shook my head, lost for words. I leant forward and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you." I finally managed to choke out. "I love you too."

But I see you with him slow dancing  
Tearing me apart  
Cause you don't see  
Whenever you kiss him  
I'm breaking  
Oh how I wish  
Oh how I wish  
Oh how I wish, that was me

Oh how I wish, that was me


	70. Chapter 70

Now that you can't have me  
You suddenly want me  
Now that I'm with somebody else  
You tell me you love me  
I slept on your doorstep  
Begging for one chance  
Now that I finally moved on  
You say that you miss all alone

 **Kennedy POV**

I made my way around the university campus, tossing my long black hair over my shoulder. It was about a five minute walk still to my lecture theatre, but I only had two minutes to get there to be on time. And I didn't want to miss the lecture. Not with him in the room.  
I share lectures with Zayn Malik. Yes, Zayn Malik from One Direction. He's my best friend. I'd known him from back before he went on X Factor. Back when he wanted to be a Drama or English teacher. I've always wanted to go out with him because he's such an awesome person, but I've never had the courage or forwardness to ask. And I'm pretty sure it can't happen now, because every girl will want to be clinging onto his arm. Still, it's good hanging out with him. The fame hasn't gotten to his head yet, and I'm hoping it never will.

I was dressed in my usual Indies attire. I had on a knee-length skirt that puffs out at the bottom at least a foot out from my waistline, a white shirt with a print of Japan on the front, and my awesome 'like a boss' kick-ass black boots that buckle up halfway up my legs. My trademark owl necklace is sitting on my front, hanging on a thick silver chain. I have a full front fringe with my long hair curled as usual at the back, an old shoelace used as a hippie-looking hairband around my head.  
Yes, my favourite genre of music is Indies. Actually, I'm in my own small Indie Rock band called Mother Architecture. Random name, yes, but seeing as half of our members are studying Architecture at university, it seemed fitting. And we all love our mums…

Who do you think you are  
Who do you think I am  
You only loved to see me breaking  
You only want me cause I'm taken  
You don't really want my heart  
No, you just like to know you can  
You'll be the one who gets it breaking  
You only want me when I'm taken

"Hey Zayn, vas happenin'?" I asked, copying him. He chuckled.  
"Not much bro!" He often tried to be gangster. It never worked.  
"I can't physically be your bro. For one, we're not related. And I'm actually not a guy, believe it or not." He punched me on the arm.  
"I know that, its obvious you're a girl. God, look at what you're wearing!" I flicked him on the nose.  
"Look but don't touch, ay?" He growled and took a seat.  
"Whatever Trevor." I poked my tongue out at him.  
"It's Kennedy, not Trevor. You know that." He scowled at me playfully. "Idiot." Before we could continue our verbal war, the lecturer marched into the room, dumped his gear on the front table and linked up his computer to the projector, warranting a hush from the inhabitants of the room. Zayn rolled his eyes at me. This was a boring lecture with a boring lecturer. I braced myself for boredom.

I mumbled to myself and began writing lyrics throughout my notebook. Zayn watched, occasionally stealing my pen and scrawling a word or two into my unfinished sentences, giving me a look. I always glared at him when he came up with just the word to fit. He knew me too well. I turned the page over after the lyrics were done and started brainstorming some guitar riffs. I knew this would be an awesome song when I'd finally written it all. I thought for a moment, contemplative. I scrunched my nose and began sticking some notes in the manuscript paper. A darker song, so I'd keep it in a minor key, mainly E minor and D minor because they were easy to go from one to the other. Maybe a diminished seventh? Nah. A drum beat came to mind. I quickly tapped it out on the notepad before me, smiling as I did so. That was a keeper. Lucky for me, the lecturer was completely out of it today. He didn't notice neither of us were paying attention.

You're messing with my head  
Girl that's what you do best  
Saying there's nothing you won't do  
To get me to say it  
You're impossible to resist  
But I wouldn't bet your heart on it  
It's like I'm finally awake  
And you're just a beautiful mistake

 **Zayn POV**

Kennedy was being as creative as usual, writing up lyrics spontaneously. She's so amazing like that. I watched her in fascination as she tapped down a few rhythms and wrote out a few chords that I knew would fit perfectly with the words. Ed the drummer, Shaun the bassist and Kennedy, both vocalist and guitarist, made up the Indie band Mother Architecture. They weren't signed yet, but I knew once someone found them out, they'd be big. Just with Kennedy's singing alone, that was all they needed to reach the top of the charts. They wrote their own songs, they designed their own clothes, they were bound to make it one day. Perhaps she'd be even more famous than me and One Direction.

But there was one thing that had to happen before they went global. One thing that meant everything to me. I was going to ask her out. I wasn't sure when, but it was going to happen. She was gorgeous and talented. Endowed with wide, chocolate brown eyes, tanned skin, moderate curves and that long black hair that flitted down her back like waves on the ocean, she was beautiful and attractive. I loved her style. She was Indies. Different from all the girls that wore their Supre or whatever shop brand that all the girls wore. No, Kennedy made her own clothes; she bought the materials, fabrics and stitched them together to create something new. She was artistic, mysterious and interesting. All that I looked for in a girl was embodied in her.

Who do you think you are  
Who do you think I am  
You only loved to see me breaking  
You only want me cause I'm taken  
You don't really want my heart  
No, you just like to know you can  
You'll be the one who gets it breaking  
You only want me when I'm taken

I lifted my head from her notebook, noticing that we were almost through the whole of the lecture. I hadn't been taking notes, and I was already behind as it was. I didn't actually pay attention to any of the lecturers here at university, but I didn't really have to. I already had a place in One Direction, so my job for the rest of my life was pretty much assured. But hers wasn't. I usually took notes for her and explained the coursework to her so she could pass.  
Actually, come to think of it, I'm only in this course because I want to be with her.

I sat there, suddenly resigned. I was wasting my time here. If I ask her out, I don't have to come to these lectures. I've got quite a bit of money in my bank account from CD sales alone. Enough to support both of us, and perhaps enough to get her and Mother Architecture noticed by the media. If I dated her, maybe the paparazzi would get interested and find her talents.  
So that's what I'll do. I'll ask her out. Then we can finally be together…

Thank you for showing me  
Who you are underneath  
Thank you I don't need  
Another heartless misery  
You think I'm doing this to make you jealous  
And I know that you hate to hear this  
But this is not about you anymore

 **Kennedy POV**

I stood up the minute the lecture finished, intent on running to the guys to let them know that I'd got another song up. I knew Shaun could always make up his bass parts within minutes, but I was really interested in how Ed would find the drum part I'd written. I was brought out of my thoughts by a familiar voice.  
"Vas happenin'?" Zayn stood up next to me.  
"Well, I'm gonna take this to the guys. Wanna come?" I asked, holding up the notebook. He nodded.  
"Yeah, I wanna hear what you've done with that!"

It didn't take too long to reach the lecture rooms dedicated to Architecture. Out of all the days on the two week cycle, today was one of only two days when our lectures actually coincided and we were on campus on the same day. Today, after class, we would usually go over to Shaun's house to muck about on our instruments or play fruitless hours of Halo on his Xbox 360.  
"Guys, I've got a new song!" I called, running up to them.  
"Well then, let's go see what it's like!" Ed announced, throwing his arms above his head extravagantly, pulling them into a stretch. "Oh, hey Zayn," he greeted, noticing the tall dark figure in the background.  
"Hey."

Who do you think you are  
Who do you think I am  
You only loved to see me breaking  
You only want me cause I'm taken  
You don't really want my heart  
No, you just like to know you can  
You'll be the one who gets it breaking  
You only want me when I'm taken

Shaun stuck the keys in his front door and pushed it open, waving us all in. Zayn took his usual seat in the corner of the room, watching as we all tuned up and the other guys ran a few times through my ideas.  
"Awesome drum part. Anyone would guess you actually played drum. Not too easy, not too hard, but it sounds much more sophisticated than most drum parts I've seen!" Ed seemed happy.  
"Thanks. How about you, Shaun? Got any bass part to go with that?" He nodded.  
"Yeah. An easy fit. Nice pick of chords." I nodded. It was time to get started. I set up the mike on a stand and slung the guitar over my head.

I watched Zayn closely as we played through the song. He had really taken to it, constantly staring at me as I delivered the lyrics in a clear, expressive voice. When we'd finally finished, he stood up, clapping enthusiastically.  
"That was amazing guys!" he said, running up to me. "You're all really talented." What came next was completely unexpected. He grabbed my chin, tilting it upwards, until his lips met mine. After a few seconds we both pulled apart.  
"Zayn?" I stated with wide eyes. "Uh, why did you kiss me?" He looked me up and down.  
"Why does I guy usually kiss a girl? Because I like you, Kennedy." I blushed.  
"Oh, Zayn and Kennedy, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Shaun sang. I slapped him.  
"Be mine?" Zayn asked. I just nodded.  
"Hell yeah!"

Now that you can't have me  
You suddenly want me


	71. Chapter 71

Waiting for a girl like you…

The night shines, it's getting hot on my shoulders  
I don't mind, this time it doesn't matter  
Cause your friends, they look good but you're better  
Don't you know all night  
I've been waiting for a girl like you to come around

 **Rosalie Clarke POV**

I scowled up at the night sky above me. It was so beautiful, the stars sparkling, casting their little lights all over the lake, dancing as the water rippled under the small breeze that hung in the air. Why was I scowling, you ask? Well, because I had no idea who to choose. I had a crush on both Liam Payne and Zayn Malik. And I knew they both had a thing for me. What was I to do? They were both important friends of mine, and I didn't want to break the other's heart. And I didn't want to ruin their life as One Direction. How could I come out of this with both still my friends?  
We had all decided to go on a camping trip, something ridiculous at this time of year. I mean, come on! Going out camping in the middle of friggin winter? Who does that? Apparently One Direction do…

It was cold out, so I decided to stay in the little cabin that Zayn's parents had rented out for the group for the winter. It wasn't too large, only big enough to house the six of us. We had all brought sleeping bags and winter clothes, but that did nothing to keep the heat in and the cold out. It was freezing, even behind the confines of the wooden and double-bricked walls of the cabin, the fire sitting in the corner and on, piles of logs slowly but surely being fed into the flames to keep the warmth from stopping. There had been a snow storm last night, and white had blanketed the forest around us. Why did I even agree coming to this? Oh, that's right. Because Zayn asked and I just can't say no to him…

I've been friends with Zayn for quite a long time now. He was always quiet at school, as was I, so somehow in third year we had gravitated towards each other, becoming the best of friends. We always spent days off in the music room playing our way through all the instruments that sat there. That was when Zayn began singing. He was always writing up songs or doing covers of other musical artists. Since I was also musical, mainly piano but also some singing as well, I decided to join him. We'd often spend our frees down in the music rooms, but if they were taken we'd go off together past the school boundary and out of bounds.

Under the lights tonight, I turned around  
And you stole my heart, just one look  
And I saw your face, I fell in love  
Take a minute girl, steal my heart tonight

Just one look, yeah  
I'm waiting for a girl like you

 **Zayn Malik POV**

I noticed Rosalie was freezing. The little skin that was showing under her piles of blankets and sweaters was covered in goosebumps, her chin was trembling a little.  
"Rosalie, are you alright?" I asked, plopping myself down next to her. She scowled at me.  
"Why did I even agree coming here?" she asked me. I shrugged.  
"Because I'm so sexy you couldn't get enough of me." She growled and smacked me on the arm.  
"Pfft. And you invited me because I'm the hottest chick you know, and you just had to show me off to the guys. I mean, look at Harry would ya? He won't stop staring at me…" I chuckled to her. Harry was off to the side, sitting with his guitar in the corner, holding his own jam session. He hadn't so much as looked at her once…

But there was a reason for that. He knew how I felt about her, how I wanted to ask her while we were out here, away from the prying eyes of the London paparazzi. I preferred this quiet environment. The solitude that the snowy forest outside entailed enabled me and the other boys every kind of freedom that we could not expect to gain in the city, where we were often pulled over on the street by people who recognized us. Don't get me wrong, I love the fans. Their support means everything to me and the boys. Its just that sometimes we need a break from it all…  
Which brings me back to the topic at hand. Rosalie Clarke. The girl of my dreams, the girl I grew up with and loved with all of my heart. Harry knows she's off limits, as do the other guys, but still I see Liam getting closer and closer to her each and every day that passes, and I don't like it.

I'm weaker, my words fall and they hit the ground  
All life come on here, don't you fail me now  
I start to say, I think I love you but I make no sound  
Oh cause all all my life  
I've been waiting for a girl like you to come around

 **Liam Payne POV**

It was nice and quiet out here, just how I liked it. It was so much fun being with the guys, especially Harry, Niall and Louis. They were all outgoing and crazy, and reminded me to enjoy life and cease the day. However, there was Zayn and also Rosalie sharing this cabin with me.  
Rosalie Clarke. I knew she was off-limits. I knew she was Zayn's best friend. And I knew that he planned to ask her out tonight, once we'd stuck on a movie to fill in the spare hours before we had to sleep. But I couldn't help but be attracted to her, and she wasn't exactly indifferent towards me either. In fact, she comes to me first if Zayn's gone out to fetch firewood or ducked into the kitchen for a drink or a snack. Out of all the guys, I'm the one she frequents most often, aside from Zayn. Does she like me? Only time will tell.

Rosalie is an attractive girl. She has a kind, infectious personality; she's as outgoing and loud as Louis but also has a softer, more reserved side like Zayn. I've often heard that she's slightly rebellious, but I've never seen her acting up. She has amazing, long blonde hair and the most stunning, ocean blue eyes I've ever seen. She's tall and fit, with a cheerleader's build. How could someone not fall for her? You can't blame me for this attraction. No one can. I just wish I had the self-control that Harry seemingly has… he hasn't gone all naked on us once this trip! But I guess that could be partly due to the cold weather…

Under the lights tonight, I turned around  
And you stole my heart, just one look  
And I saw your face, I fell in love  
Take a minute girl, steal my heart tonight

Just one look yeah  
Waiting for a girl like you

 **Rosalie Clarke POV**

It was almost dinner time, so I decided that today I would show off my cooking skills to the guys and actually cook up a decent meal. There's only so much of Zayn's rubbish cooking that one can stand…  
I pulled out a saucepan and began peeling potatoes, cutting them up into strips and tossing them in to be fried, like homemade chips. There was mincemeat in the fridge that sat in the kitchen, so I decided I'd make some half-decent hamburgers for the guys. They all loved their meat, that much was clearly obvious. I tossed together some breadcrumbs, the mince and a few eggs with some chopped up onion in a bowl. I ground it all together until it reached a homogeneous consistency.

I spooned the mixture out onto a clean chopping board and split it up, rolling each handful into a ball and flattening it out with my hands. I kneaded the mixture until the balls looked nice and flat. Once I had finally decided they looked good enough I stuck them in a fry-pan, letting them sit to cook for a few minutes on each side. I grabbed some bread and stuck it into the toaster, timing it so that everyone would have their meal at pretty much the same time. I grabbed some lettuce, tomato, and a can of beetroot out of the fridge and prepped them so that the boys could pick out what they liked best on their burgers. I stuck slices of cheese on the cooking mince patties so that it melted slightly at the edges. So far, so good. Once that was done, all I had to do was wait patiently.  
"Dinner's ready!" I called, after a few minutes. I served up the toast on each plate, lifting the patties with a spatula and placing them on top. I grabbed the chips out of their oil bath and split them equally on each of the six plates.

"Wow, looks great Rose," Niall smiled at me, taking a plate. He grabbed the tomato sauce and began squirting it on his plate to his heart's content.  
"Mhmm," Harry agreed, taking a plate. "Zayn's a lucky man to have a girlfriend like you." I blushed at him.  
"Uhm. Sorry, but I'm not Zayn's girlfriend…" I mumbled to him. He merely chuckled.  
"Not yet," he whispered in my ear. "But it'll happen eventually… I went even redder. Harry knew just what to say to push my buttons.  
"Oh, shut up. Just stick on a god-damned movie!" I cussed at him as he left the room.  
"Whatever." Next was Louis, Liam and Zayn to pick up their plates. Liam shot me a very friendly smile before sauntering off. He had a nice smile… But then Zayn was before me, looking at me with the most love-struck look I've ever seen.

There is no other place that I would rather be  
Right here with you tonight  
As we lay on the ground I put my arms around you  
And we can stay here tonight  
There's so much I wanna say  
I wanna say

Under the lights tonight, I turned around  
And you stole my heart, just one look  
And I saw your face, I fell in love  
Take a minute girl, steal my heart tonight

 **Zayn Malik POV**

"Rosalie, I love you. I would really like it if you went out with me. Please say yes!" Finally, the words had managed to make their way from my lips. I had been meaning to ask her out for months now, but this seemed like the most opportune moment.  
"Z…Z…Zayn… I d…didn't know you felt that way a…about me!" she stuttered. I smiled at her.  
"Of course I do, Rose. You're my best friend and I just… want us to be something more." She gave me the warmest of smiles.  
"Zayn, I love you too. I guess you've stolen my heart." I kissed her gently on the forehead, and began singing the chorus to one of our songs.

"Under the lights tonight, I turned around  
And you stole my heart, just one look  
And I saw your face, I fell in love  
Take a minute girl, steal my heart tonight."

I kissed her passionately on the lips and led her out to the main room. We snuggled under a blanket together, both eating the wonderful meal she had created.  
"Oh, see! I told you he was gonna ask you out!" Harry shot Rosalie a wink. I nodded to him. She blushed.  
"Yep, you were right, Harry!"

 **Liam Payne POV**

So Zayn had finally asked her. Yes, I was a little jealous, but I was also very happy for them. They looked very cute together, and I couldn't help but smile at the look on her face. She was ecstatic, both surprised and elated by this turn of events that couldn't be expressed in words. A beautiful girl like her deserved a beautiful partner to match, and I knew that Zayn and Rosalie were perfect for each other. He was nice, he would treat her right, and that was all I could ask for.

Just one look, yeah  
Waiting for a girl like you

Waiting for a girl like you…


	72. Chapter 72

It was just the same as any day; the sky was a gentle baby blue that could be seen peeking through the clouds that covered most of England's sky. Yes, we were in England. I had followed my best friend, Niall Horan, all the way from our small hometown in Ireland to the big city life that was projected in the billboards that sat suspended on the high-rise buildings that surround us. Why, you ask? Because I was being as any good friend, supportive and caring towards Niall as he embarked on one of the biggest events of his life so far; his audition to this year's X Factor.  
"Woah, Niall. Look up. They've got massive televisions all over the walls. You don't see that in Mullingar." He nodded, showing me a toothy grin.  
"I know, right? And if I get famous, maybe I'll be up on that screen…"  
"Of course you'll get famous. Who couldn't love your voice?" I told him, returning a smile.

Niall doesn't know how I truly feel about him though. All he knows is that I'm his best friend, and we've been friends since pre-school. Growing up in a tight-knit community, everyone knows everyone, and everyone gets on. That's me and Niall. Two teenagers so used to the slow country life, standing in the busy, bustling, car-filled streets where sound echoes up and down, leaving little room for one's personal space or hearing of any kind. Busy, loud, nothing like the pastures.  
I'm not as outgoing and loud as Niall. In fact, I'm very shy. I look like most typical European girls; short curly blonde hair and pale skin, although my emerald green eyes tend to shock people I first meet. Niall's the same. Blonde hair, pale skin, but he's got shockingly blue eyes. We both love singing, and that's what brought us both here. He because he wants to audition, I because I want to support him in any way I can. If that means he can practice with me before going on stage, then so be it.

-

"What's your name?"  
"Niall." He was all confidence, walking out onto the stage. I knew he'd get through. The judges seemed so interested in that accent of his.  
"Niall what?"  
"Horan." I kept a close eye on him from the sidelines.  
"Why are you here today?"  
"I'm here to be the best artist I can be." I chuckled. Of course he'd say something like that. Everything was an experience for Niall, and he put his best foot forward for everything he did.  
"And Niall, how old are you?"  
"16." He received a bucket load of cheers from young girls in the crowd. I agreed with them. He was young and attractive, such a sweet person to be around.

After a few more questions, he finally began singing. I felt my skin start to goosebump. I wanted to be with him. I wanted to be out there on stage, singing along side him. I don't know why. I can't sing by myself if there's a crowd, but over the year's Niall's shown me to be myself and let go. I'd sing if he was there with me. As he began singing, the crowd began a slow clap. So he'd decided to sing 'So Sick' by Ne-Yo after all. He had been tossing up a few songs, singing the first few lines of each for me asking how each sounded. I had assured him that every song he sung would be brilliant.

"Gotta change my answering machine  
Now that I'm alone  
Cuz right now it says that we  
Can't come to the phone  
And I know it makes no sense  
Cuz you walked out that door  
But it's the only way I hear your voice anymore…"

He was cut off abruptly by none other than Simon Cowell. Now it was the moment of truth. Was he good enough to make it in the music industry. I sure hope he was…  
"…I just think that maybe you should work on it," Katy Perry was being brutally honest. "You're only sixteen…" Yes, he was young. But I didn't think age had anything to do with it.  
"I think you're unprepared, I think you came with the wrong song…" I scowled. Of course Simon Cowell would say something as beastly like that to Niall. We'd come all the way from Ireland. I didn't want to see him disappointed.  
"You're not as good as you thought you were…" that stung. "…But I still like you." My mouth widened, forming a gaping hole. He said what?

Then came a barrage of compliments from the judges. I stood flabbergasted. Things had changed around so quickly. I was sure Cowell was going to say no.  
"Well, I'm going to say yes." Cowell said yes?  
"Cheryl, yes or no?" Louis Walsh asked Cheryl Cole.  
"I'm going to say no." I almost booed her aloud.  
"I'm going to say yes!" Louis raised it 2-1. It was all up to Katy Perry. What would she be saying?  
"…Of course, you're in!" It took a while for my brain to process what she had just said. He was in? I squealed and jumped up and down backstage. Yes, he'd done it! Niall cheered into the microphone, jumping up and down.  
"I just have one question…" he told the judges after things had calmed down. "Can you please audition Nora?" I squeaked. Oh no he didn't…

"Nora, come out. I want you to sing for the judges too," Niall motioned for me, I shook my head at him. No way. "She's a little shy, but she has a beautiful voice." He told the judges. He walked over to me and pulled me out onto the stage.  
"Ah, so you're Nora," Louis said cordially. "Are you Niall's girlfriend?" he asked I blushed crazily.  
"Well, I'd like her to be." My eyes widened. I turned to face Niall, a look of shock and surprise written all over my face. He liked me? He actually liked me?  
"Wow. Well, let's have a listen to young Nora. How old are you?"  
"Sixteen," I squeaked. The crowd erupted.  
"What will you be singing for us today?" Cowell asked. I shrugged.  
"Well, I wasn't going to perform, but I'm going to sing this song. 'We Belong' by Pat Benatar."

I sighed and readied myself for disappointment. I took a deep breath, trying my best to compose myself, get my negative emotions in check and use that energy to create a positive, creative atmosphere. I brought the microphone up to my mouth and began to sing.

"Many times I've tried to tell you, many times I've cried alone  
Always I'm surprised how well you cut my feelings to the bone  
Don't wanna leave you really, I've invested too much time  
To give you up that easy, to the doubts that complicate your mind

We belong to the light, we belong to the thunder  
We belong to the sound of the words we've both fallen under  
Whatever we deny or embrace for worse or for better  
We belong, we belong, we belong together  
Maybe it's a sign of weakness, when I don't know what to say  
Maybe I just wouldn't know what to do with my strength anyway  
Have we become habit, do we distort the facts  
Now there's no looking forward, now there's no turning back, when you say

We belong to the light, we belong to the thunder  
We belong to the sound of the words we've both fallen under  
Whatever we deny or embrace for worse or for better  
We belong, we belong, we belong together  
Maybe it's a sign of weakness, when I don't know what to say  
Maybe I just wouldn't know what to do with my strength anyway  
Have we become habit, do we distort the facts  
Now there's no looking forward, now there's no turning back, when you say

Close your eyes and try to sleep now, close your eyes and try to dream  
Clear your mind and do your best to try and wash the palette clean  
We can't begin to know it, how much we really care  
I hear your voice inside me, I see your face everywhere, still you say

We belong to the light, we belong to the thunder  
We belong to the sound of the words we've both fallen under  
Whatever we deny or embrace for worse or for better  
We belong, we belong, we belong together  
Maybe it's a sign of weakness, when I don't know what to say  
Maybe I just wouldn't know what to do with my strength anyway  
Have we become habit, do we distort the facts  
Now there's no looking forward, now there's no turning back…"

I didn't realize I had sung the whole song, completely uninterrupted by the judges. The crowd were watching me in awe, and some strange fascination lit their faces.  
"Thank you Nora for that," finally, the silence was broken by Simon Cowell. "I have to say that was brilliant. Even though you're not registered… I think we'll be able to find you a place in the next round. It's a yes from me." Cheryl shook her head.  
"You have a lovely voice, but I'm not convinced that you're a stage performer," she told me, watching me carefully. "You didn't want to perform originally, only Niall brought you out…" I shook my head at her.  
"Please, give me a chance. I promise I'll try my best to be better on stage." She nodded.  
"You'll have to convince me."  
"Well, I think I'm convinced," Louis told me. "It's a yes from me."  
"And, its another yes from me." Katy Perry announced, applauding. "I'd love to have a voice like yours." I blushed. And just like that, I found myself next to Niall in the next round of the competition.

-

"Niall, did you really mean what you said back there, about wanting me to be your girlfriend?" I asked him, flicking through a magazine. Somehow, we had both ended up on the same bus to the place were we'd be doing the bootcamp section of the competition.  
"Yeah, I was being serious." He planted his lips on my forehead. "I want to know your response, Nora." I couldn't help but throw my arms around him.  
"Of course, Niall! I really really like you!" he returned the hug, wrapping his arms around my waist.  
"Thanks for being with me always, Nora. I'm so glad you came all the way here with me. As funny as this sounds, I believe we belong together. It's just ironic you chose that song!" I laughed and he gave me his usual, toothy grin. We broke apart and he held my hand, giving me a soft, chaste kiss on the cheek. Come on! We were both only sixteen after all!  
But I knew one thing was for sure. Niall was right. We did belong together. We'd been through a lot, and the future was looking promising for the both of us.


	73. Chapter 73

**Zayn Malik POV**

I couldn't believe it. I had actually made it far in the competition, and things had gone so fast the final week was already upon us. Although auditioning as a solo male artist, I had ended up placed into the groups category with a few of the other guys, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson. We'd formed a group called One Direction, and we hadn't looked back since. The guys were so outgoing and kind. Each had their own personality but we all got on great and worked well as a team. Louis was the leader, Niall was the funny one, Liam was smart and quiet, and Harry was just… Harry. He's hard to explain…  
As finals week was approaching, it was time for all of us to make our homecoming visits before the final show. I was excited. Not only did I get to introduce the boys to my parents, I also got to see my little sister.

Natalie Malik is only thirteen. She's sweet, cute, and my pride. I may be a little too protective of her, but she's younger than me so I feel like I have to look after her like any older brother should. I knew she liked all of the boys that I've been placed with; I kept in touch with her quite often while we were in the house. She's like a lifeline to me; we're very close.  
I guess people would find her attractive. She's petite, but well endowed for her age. Like me, she has brown almost black hair, but hers is longer and straighter and falls just past her shoulders. She's got the same colour eyes to me, so much so that we could almost pass as identical if I were a few years younger. She's outgoing and smart, crazy like Louis but she knows when to be serious.

"Welcome back, Zayn!" I heard her sweet voice.  
"Vas happenin'?" I asked her, pulling her into a massive hug. "I missed you Nat." She smiled at me and waved to the other boys. Of course, I had run straight out of the van the second it reached our driveway, so happy and grateful to be able to see my family again once more so they could wish me luck.  
"Hi. You must be the guys I hear so much about. Nice to meet you all!" Natalie led us all inside, taking us into the living room. The table was set up for the six of us, plus my mother and father.  
"Ah, there's my boy," my dad pulled me into a hug. "Nice to see my little pop star again."  
"Dad, you're embarrassing me!" I groaned at him. Natalie laughed.  
"We've missed you Zayn! It's so dull without you around!"

 **Natalie Malik POV**

Finally, the day had come when I could finally see my big brother again. I missed him so much, and I watched the show like a religion. But it could very easily get awkward, this little get together. Thing is, I have a massive fangirl crush on Niall Horan. I admitted this to Zayn a while back, but he wasn't happy about it. He thinks I should like Harry better, but I'm not sure. Harry seems a little strange for me. Niall's sweet, kind, always happy. I've watched the video diaries they put up every week, and in each and every single one he's smiling.

Niall is very attractive. He's blonde with the most stunning blue eyes I've seen. He's also the youngest of the group, only sixteen years old when he first auditioned. That was a few weeks back now. I know this probably sounds stupid, but I want so much for him to return my feelings. Yes, I realize that half of Great Britain has fallen in love with the boy, but all I wish is for me to be the one for him. I want to share with him the happiness that he often shares with others.  
But I can't get past Zayn. Zayn's overprotective even at the best of times. I appreciate him worrying for me, but sometimes I just feel he needs to give me the opportunity to do things for myself.

 **Niall Horan POV**

Zayn did mention once that he had a little sister, but I wasn't expecting someone as attractive to greet us as the girl that was sitting across from me at the table. She was perfect. Polite, sweet, outgoing, a lot louder than Zayn himself. She's cute, and she's got a very nice personality, the things I crave for in a girl. But I'm not sure what Zayn would do if I went out with her… I looked across at her.  
"So Natalie, what year are you in?" I asked. She chuckled.  
"I'm in year eight, actually. I got put in early," she explained, running her butter knife through a bread roll daintily. "I'm one of the youngest in my class, but I had to be accelerated."  
"Yes, all because of my amazing tutoring!" Zayn commented loudly. She growled at him.  
"Nah, Zayn. I believe I'm just naturally smarter than you." He smirked at her.  
"Oh really? Says who?"  
"Mrs. Johnson. Remember her?" Zayn mumbled something unintelligible under his breath.  
"I hated that teacher…"

We ate the rest of the meal in relative silence. Zayn's parents were constantly asking us all questions and stacking pile after pile of food on our plates. Once they found us full enough, we all went outside. The sun was beginning to set, casting a crimson light over the horizon that peeped between the trees that littered the boundary of Zayn's garden.  
"Well, lets get the bonfire going!" Natalie called happily, sticking a pile of logs in a rocky hole that sat in the middle of the yard. She pulled a few chairs over and motioned for us to sit down. Zayn's father tossed a match into the pile, and before too long flames licked and danced the afternoon air, casting a light glow on our surrounds.  
"You kids have fun," he told us, before retiring inside. Zayn took a seat next to Natalie and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into his chest protectively.

"So, tell me about all of you. Louis, you really like a girl who likes carrots? Very interesting. And Harry, apparently you have a naked problem!" she giggled, talking to everyone happily. I wondered whether or not to join into the conversation; I wasn't sure if I'd embarrass myself in front of her. But she kept tossing me sideways glances.  
"Niall, you're from Ireland. What's it like over there? I bet its green." I nodded, blushing.  
"Its quiet in Ireland… and very green." Zayn gave me a questioning glance. Of course he noticed I was quieter than usual. Zayn's smart like Liam, and he reads the situation well with his analytical, dark eyes.  
"Well, I think I'll go get the marshmallows. Niall, do you want to help me out?" Zayn asked, standing up. I nodded. That was definitely the cue for a much needed conversation.

 **Zayn Malik POV**

I saw the way he looked at her. Perhaps he really liked her… but I couldn't allow that. If he has to move back to Ireland after the competition, I don't want to see my sister with a broken heart. Sure, it would be short, but I didn't want her stuck in a long-term relationship with someone.  
I don't have anything against Niall, I only want what's best for Natalie.  
"Niall, why are you looking at my sister like that?" I asked angrily. He gave an audible sigh.  
"Well, Zayn. Your sister is very pretty. Plus, I think she's sweet." He nodded in understanding.  
"I don't want to see her hurt, Niall. So leave her be," I told him. "I hope you understand. I'd prefer her with someone else…" Niall glanced quizzically at me.  
"Who would you rather her be with?" He asked. I shrugged.  
"She's young. I want her with someone that can be a little more serious. Perhaps Harry?"

Niall glared at me.  
"And what does she want?" he asked me pointedly. I shook my head.  
"Well, from the phone calls, she's told me that you are actually her favourite… She's developed an attachment to you." Niall scowled at me.  
"Zayn, I think you're being a little too strong with this. Why don't you let her decide for herself?" I growled.  
"So, you're trying to tell me where my place is as a brother, are you?" I asked. He nodded.  
"Yes, yes I am. I don't want trouble Zayn, you know that. But I think you should give her a little more freedom. She could choose Harry, I don't care. Like you, I only wish what's best for her. You know all I want is to see other people happy." I thought for a moment. Niall did sound genuine.  
"I'll give you a chance." I conceded, holding a hand up. "But on one condition. You break her heart, and you have to answer to me."  
"Deal." We both shook hands and headed out to join the others.

 **Natalie Malik POV**

The other guys from One Direction were as funny and as charming as you find all over the television screen; Louis is so eccentric and outspoken that you wouldn't believe he's actually a really shy person when he first meets someone. Liam is serious, but likeable in his own way. Harry of course is the lady's man of the group, with a funny, toothy smile that could set a girl's heart aflame. But then there's Niall. Actually, he's been kind of quiet, more so than I usually see him. I wonder if he's just more nervous around girls. Perhaps… but that doesn't explain why he was so enthusiastic and loud up on stage.  
Perhaps there's a little more to Niall than meets the eye…

My thoughts were cut short as Zayn took a seat back down next to me, passing a bag of marshmallows and skewers around to the boys.  
"Lets toast some marshmallows!" he announced, pulling me closer to him. Niall returned to his seat, smiling at me. Something had happened, and I was going to find out what.  
"Yes, a toast to good fortune!" he said, motioning to the group. "To a win for us on the X Factor, and for luck in whatever future comes our way!" I jumped up out of Zayn's arms and circled the group, giving each of the boys a supportive squeeze.  
"Yeah, I agree. Best wishes to all of you. You're all amazing guys with great voices. I'm sure you'll win, but here's to all the luck you'll need." I stuck a skewer into the fire, the marshmallow burning and melting away at the other end.

Soon, I found the boys all leaving to head inside one by one as the embers of the fire began to die down. Zayn must be showing them the house or his video game collection or something. I had hardly realized that all that was left outside was me and Niall.  
"Niall, you've been quiet today. Is anything the matter?" I asked kindly. He gave me his usual warm smile, his brilliant eyes glittering as they refracted the light from the fire.  
"No, nothing's wrong, Natalie. Actually, I've been meaning to ask you something," I nodded my head.  
"Well, I know we've only just met for a short time but… I was wondering if you, uh, wanted to go out sometime?" I blushed wildly but nodded to him.

"So that's what you and Zayn were discussing inside?" he nodded. "You actually got past my brother? Wow Niall, that's a pretty big achievement. Zayn's a little too protective of me, because I've always been his baby sister. But I know he only wants what's best." Niall nodded.  
"As do I." He pressed his lips gently on my cheek. "You're a sweet girl, and I promise not to hurt you. You can set the limits. I don't want to scare or hurt you in any way. Plus, I'd probably be killed by Zayn if I did." He said the last part jokingly. I couldn't help but giggle a little.  
"Yeah, probably." I agreed. "You know, Niall, you have a really cute accent." He smiled at me.  
"Well, you're just really cute."  
After a few minutes we decided to head inside ourselves. We headed up to Zayn's room, finding all the boys sitting on the carpet sorting through Zayn's Xbox games. Zayn noticed Niall holding my hand, and gave him a curt nod.  
"Look after her."  
"I will."


	74. Chapter 74

I never thought I'd die alone  
I laughed the loudest who'd have known?  
I trace the cord back to the wall  
No wonder it was never plugged in at all  
I took my time, I hurried up  
The choice was mine I didn't think enough  
I'm too depressed to go on  
You'll be sorry when I'm gone

 **Josie Russo POV**

"Remind me why you dragged me to this concert again?" I asked Phoebe. Usually, I don't like girly girls, but Phoebe I had known since birth. She was my best friend and we'd been through a lot together. She'd been there for me when my parents divorced, she'd been my moral support when I went through my year of depression two years ago. Actually, she's probably the only reason I'm alive right now. But today, she had dragged me to this ridiculously girly concert. Apparently this concert was for a boyband that's really popular in England and pretty much all over Europe. I don't really know 'One Direction' all that well; I prefer rock and alternative music. I guess that type of music just sits better with me because I can relate to it. I can't relate much to break up songs that are all bright and bubbly; life's never as easy as they make out in pop songs.

"You're here because I made you come," she told me, flicking her long blonde hair over her shoulder. I shrugged. There were so many girls dressed up in the most sluttiest of outfits here in the mosh pit located just under the stage.  
"Plus, seeing as I've got two backstage passes I didn't want them to go to waste. And why the hell are you wearing those crazy fake glasses again?" I nodded at her incredulously.  
"Come on, Phoeb. You know me. The crazy spaz that everyone loves."  
"Everyone but Elle." I scowled at her.  
"Well, you could have always invited Elle if you don't want me around." Elle was my worst enemy. She keeps calling me an emo and making fun of me, although I dress anything but. Sure, I stick on a little eyeliner, but I'm always in jeans and a t-shirt or a cardigan, just like the rest of the girls my age. And that's what I was wearing today. My worn blue jeans and a white t-shirt with the print 'Blink 182' on the front, my favourite band. I'm small and curvy so I don't really have much to show off anyway, not like all those cheerleader-types.

I never conquered, rarely came  
Sixteen just held such better days  
Days when I still felt alive  
We couldn't wait to get outside  
The world was wide, too late to try  
The tour was over, we'd survived  
I couldn't wait till I got home  
To pass the time in my room alone

 **Louis Tomlinson POV**

The One Direction tour bus pulled into the venue where we'd be holding our first American concert here in New Jersey. We all clambered out and were ushered backstage by some impatient looking crew. We were all shoved into separate rooms, given some clothes to change into, and then the makeup artists swooped. The makeup was never too heavy; we wanted our audience to see us for what we were, just a couple of teenagers having fun and doing what we wanted to do. After this we were shown to the stage, all standing in a line with our microphones. There was no time for a sound check at all. We'd only just flown in from England, and because we'd hit turbulence we were two hours behind schedule. A sound check was out of the question; the fans had already been pushed through the doors. Slowly, the curtains opened, and the show began…

"Hi, we're One Direction," we all stated in unison. "Thanks for coming to see us today." The crowd went wild. There were some really pretty American girls in the crowd, tall, with perfect curves and caked on foundation. There were signs strewn all over the body of people, asking such-and-such to marry them. I grinned sheepishly. I scanned the crowd to see if I could find at least one person that looked relatively normal. It didn't take long. There, standing in the crowd, was a girl that dressed a lot like me. She had brown, shoulder-length curly hair, and she looked completely indifferent. I squinted and noticed an iPod earphone hanging in her left ear. She was clicking her nails together impatiently. She looked different to all the other girls. For one, she didn't appear particularly girly at all. Was she a fan? I sincerely wanted to know. She was beautiful. But I didn't have time for those types of thoughts, I had to instead start my performance with the boys.

I never thought I'd die alone  
Another six months I'll be unknown  
Give all my things to all my friends  
You'll never step foot in my room again  
You'll close it off, board it up  
Remember the time that I spilled the cup  
Of apple juice in the hall  
Please tell mum this is not her fault

 **Josie Russo POV**

The boyband was actually quite good, not exactly what I had expected. It was definitely pop music in the beats and music, but there was a lot more substance behind the pop. I understood the lyrics well, and that made all the difference to me.  
"Do you like them? Phoebe asked. I shrugged.  
"They're alright, I guess." I received a glare from a random girl next to me. "Decent lyrics. It doesn't hurt that they're attractive." Phoebe smiled crazily at me.  
"Really? You, attracted to them? Jos, which one do you like the best?" I scrunched up my nose, thinking. I looked them all up and down. That was the one.  
"I like that one, uh, second on the left?"

The boy had dirty blonde, almost brown coloured hair that was straight and fell almost over his eyes. I could vaguely make out bright, brilliant blue eyes. He looked so sweet and funny, and I'm sure he was. He dressed a lot like me, so I hoped he also had a similar personality. I wanted to know a little more about him.  
"So, what's that guy's name?" I asked Phoebe. She winked at me.  
"That, my friend, is Louis Tomlinson. He's the oldest of the group, but he's the funniest and craziest." I nodded.  
"Well, guess we'll see them backstage then, yeah?" I asked. She smiled widely at me.  
"See? Expanding your musical horizons past your annoying rock bands is good!" I pulled a face at her.  
"What's wrong with rock?" She shook her head at me.  
"You'll never learn, will you?"

I never conquered, when you came  
Sixteen just held such better days  
Days when I still felt alive  
We couldn't wait to get outside  
The world was wide, too late to try  
The tour was over, we'd survived  
I couldn't wait till I got home  
To pass the time in my room alone

 **Louis Tomlinson POV**

After the show, me and the guys quickly got changed and hung around backstage. We were supposed to meet a few of the girls that had bought VIP passes to our concert. I really hoped I met someone nice, and not just another crazed fangirl. Actually, I hoped I met her.  
"Now, One Direction. Take your seats, the fans will be here any second!" a member of the crew alerted us. We watched as a load of girls walked into the backstage area, around their necks passes suspended on lanyards. If there was one thing I loved about being famous, it was all the attention from the girls. I scanned the crowd quickly for her. Surely enough, there she was, looking slightly bored. I quickly stepped on over.

"Hi, the name's Louis," I greeted, holding my hand out. She shook it enthusiastically.  
"Josie, but everyone calls me Jo or Jos. So, you're the famous idiot from One Direction." The girl received a handful of dirty looks from the crowd of girls. She gave them all a funny look. "What? That's what Phoebe here says; that Louis Tomlinson is the oldest member but the craziest. Is that true then?" I nodded sheepishly.  
"I guess you could say that… So you know One Direction well?" I asked. She shook her head.  
"To tell you the truth, I just tagged along. I like rock music better, although that was a good concert. You guys can all sing pretty well."  
"Glad you liked it," Harry chimed in, "but who did you like the most?" he gave her a smirk. She rolled her eyes.  
"Not you. You're just annoying. I liked Louis the best actually." Harry looked hurt, but he slapped me on the back.  
"So, someone like Louis. What a lucky man." Josie shrugged.  
"Meh."

 **Josie Russo POV**

"OK, this might sound sudden, but I was wondering if you wanted to go out sometime?" Louis had led me away from the crowd, sitting me in a seat by the corner of the room.  
"Huh?" I asked. He chuckled.  
"Well, actually I saw you in the crowd. You're really pretty, and different from the others… I kind of want to get to know you a little better." I gave him an incredulous look.  
"Uh, why me?" I asked. He shrugged.  
"Because I think I like you." I thought for a moment. I looked him straight in the eye. Deadpan. He was being completely serious. He had the most stunning blue eyes I'd ever seen.

"Well, I guess I could show you around Jersey. You're from England, right? So you don't know you're way around." He smiled, a sweet, toothy grin that almost had me melted, then and there.  
"We could also go see a movie…that new Sherlock Holmes one looks good." I nodded.  
"I like your taste in movies."  
"So, it's a date?" My nose twitched. Well, if he put it that way…  
"Yes. But I'll be needing your number." Louis Tomlinson happily obliged. He slipped me a piece of paper and gave me a gentle peck on the lips.  
"See you round, then." And just like that, all of us girls were ushered out of the room.  
"You looked like you were getting close to Louis," Phoebe sidled up behind me as I walked down the hall. I nodded.  
"Yep. We've got a date."

I never conquered, when you came  
Tomorrow holds such better days  
Days when I can still feel alive  
When I can't wait to get outside  
The world is wide, the time goes by  
The tour is over, I've survived  
I can't wait till I get home  
To pass the time in my room alone


	75. Chapter 75

Well, you done done me and you bet I felt it  
I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted  
I fell right through the cracks, and I'm trying to get back  
Before the cool done run out I'll be giving it my best test  
And nothing's gonna stop me but divine intervention  
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some

I won't hesitate no more, no more  
It cannot wait, I'm yours

 **Charlie POV**

It was a nice sunny day, and I was lapping it up. Although my pale skin usually never got this much sun in even a month back at home, it was nice to feel the heat radiate off my skin. I was sure to get sunburnt, but I didn't mind in the slightest. This was just what cruises were for. A time to relax, take a break by sitting by the pool and watching as the waves lap against the edge of the ship.  
"Hi," a group of boys came up to me and sat down on the seats, some dropping their towels and jumping straight in the water. I'd had the area all to myself; most people on this cruise liner didn't rise until late afternoon, but partied hard until the early morning. I had like the piece and quiet, but it wasn't so bad; the boys here were quite attractive… especially in swimwear.  
"Hi," I responded, flicking some of my blonde hair from my face.  
"You don't mind if we join you, do you?" I shrugged.

"Nope. It's all good. You guys enjoy yourselves." The boys all smiled at me. There were five altogether. One was tall with dark hair and dark eyes, another slightly shorter with brown hair and chocolate coloured eyes, a blonde-haired boy with blue eyes that put the ocean to shame, another with curly locks and emerald eyes, and finally one with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. His hair was straight and almost fell across his eyes. He was tall, attractive, and sporting almost a six pack. Woah, was he hot!  
"So, who are all you guys?" The boys all looked at me funnily.  
"Well, I'm Louis. That's Zayn, Liam, Harry, and Niall," the hot boy said. I thought for a moment.  
"You guys all look and sound familiar…" Louis chuckled.

"So what's your name?" he asked.  
"Charlie," I said, nodding to them all. "Nice to meet you guys." The boys were splashing about for the good part of an hour by the time I'd decided to pack everything up. I kept trying to think of where I'd seen all the guys before, but nothing came. I soon gave up, snapping my book shut and deciding to head in. I should have a shower and go inside for lunch.  
"Aren't you going to jump in, Charlie?" Louis called. I shook my head.  
"Nah, I'm heading back in. See you guys around, I guess?" The boys nodded.  
"Yeah. We might catch you at dinner." Louis told me. I smiled at him.  
"Yeah. Well, I'm off."

Well open up your mind and see like me  
Open up your plans and damn you're free  
Look into your heart and you'll find love, love, love  
Listen to the music of the moment people dance and sing  
We are just one big family  
It's your god forsaken right to be loved, loved, loved, loved

So I won't hesitate no more, no more  
It cannot wait I'm sure  
There's no need to complicate our time is short  
This is our fate, I'm yours

 **Louis POV**

I was sad to see that Charlie girl go. She was beautiful, but obviously a little shy. She didn't talk much or jump in with us, instead content on sitting in the sun, watching the waves, and reading her book. She was really quite beautiful. Blonde, shoulder-length hair cascaded around her, framing her delicate, pale face. She had bright blue eyes that hid behind black-rimmed glasses. She was short and curvy, but she looked so cute and sweet. I decided to get up and sit down for a while, resting my wet body. I lay my blue beach towel out on the seat next to where Charlie was sitting. The place still smelt like her. I stuck my sunglasses on and lay down. The sun was bright; I was sure to burn. My skin was so used to the cloudy weather that often occurred in England that any amount of sun was probably doing me damage.

"Oh no," I said aloud. Liam looked at me.  
"What's up, Louis?" he asked. I held up a phone. It was an iPhone, with a few band name stickers on the back. It was black, sleek, and well looked after. I pressed a few buttons. There was no passcode. I scrolled a little to find the info about it, and surely enough 'Charlie' popped up as the name of the owner.  
"This must be Charlie's. I should go return it, but I don't know where she's staying at…" Niall giggled.  
"Yeah you do. She's staying on this ship, isn't she?" I rolled my eyes.  
"No, I meant what room she's staying in." Zayn nodded.  
"Well, we'll see her at dinner, don't worry. There's only one place to eat here and that's the buffet. We can find her then to return the phone." I nodded.

I decided to have a peak through her files, especially the music ones. There was no One Direction songs; only rock and alternative music filled her music library.  
"Well, she doesn't seem to be a fan of One Direction." I told the guys. Niall shrugged.  
"Well, she didn't really recognize us. What music's she into?" he asked. I read out a few band names.  
"My Chemical Romance, Three Days Grace, Escape the Fate… mostly rock it looks like." Zayn jumped out of the pool and came over to me.  
"Interesting," he told me, stealing the phone, "but there'll be some One Direction after we do our performance tonight." I nodded. Yes, that was happening tonight. The owner of this cruise liner had found out that we were on board, and wanted us to take the stage before dinner as a little performance. We'd never performed on a ship before. It was bound to be an experience. But I couldn't stop thinking about her. Charlie. Was she going to be watching us, and was she going to like what she heard? I hoped so.

I've been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror  
And bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer  
My breath fogged up the glass  
And so I drew a new face and laughed  
I guess what I'm saying's there isn't no better reason  
To rid yourself of vanity and just go with the seasons  
It's what we aim to do  
Our name is our virtue

I won't hesitate no more, no more  
It cannot wait, I'm yours

 **Charlie POV**

I made my way down to the buffet area of the ship all by myself. I'd actually come on this cruise with my parents, but they were too wrapped up in their own little world to notice me. When I was asleep at night they were often up celebrating, and when I was up during the day they were out of it. Actually, they were sleeping now, back in our hotel room. They didn't really care what I did. I'm eighteen now, so I could practically do whatever I wanted as a legal adult anyway. I'd decided to stick on my favourite black skinny jeans and Dunlop Volleys, wearing a 'Bullet for my Valentine' band t-shirt over a white undershirt. My t-shirt was several sizes too big, because I liked wearing baggy clothes. I felt so much more comfortable with more space. I'd stuck on a load of silver and coloured bracelets that ran up my arm, and stuck on a little eyeliner. My nails painted black, as usual.  
I guess you could say I looked either goth or emo.

I took a table close to the edge of the cruise liner so I could look out the window. I walked over to the buffet table and decided to grab a few pieces of fruit. Once I'd sat back down an announcement went overheard on the PA.  
"For entertainment tonight, we have the British boyband One Direction performing their hit single, 'What Makes You Beautiful'. Please enjoy the performance." With that, five boys took to the stage located in the centre of the buffet area. I looked on in shock.  
"Louis?" They all began singing. So that's where I knew them all from! I'm British myself, but seeing as I don't really watch much television I hadn't really noticed their popularity, aside from through a friend and on posters in the city. And I can't admit I've ever listened to a song by them…

Well open up your mind and see like me  
Open up your plans and damn your free  
Look into your heart and you'll find, that the sky is yours

 **Louis POV**

Once we'd finished singing, I quickly made my way over to the table where I'd spotted her from up on stage.  
"So, how did you like our performance, Charlie?" I asked. She smiled at me.  
"You guys are amazing. Pity I didn't know about your music sooner!" I laughed at her.  
"Oh, by the way, you left your phone back at the pool." I handed her the device. "You should be more careful with it next time." She nodded.  
"Thanks."  
"Say, mind if me and the guys join you?" She shook her head.  
"No, go right ahead." The others congregated to the table, taking their places around her. I was saved the last seat, right next to her.

I really liked Charlie, but I wasn't sure how to go about it. She was funny, outgoing, and open. I really got on well with her, and it was nice to learn more and more about her, slowly over the course of the meal. I decided to give it a go.  
"Hey Charlie, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out sometime?" She blushed and gave me a nod.  
"Sure." I gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek.  
"Awesome, so what room are you?"  
"Room 495." I nodded, grabbing a spoonful of dessert. This cruise could be very sweet indeed.

So please don't, don't please don't  
(There's no need to complicate)  
Cause our time is short  
This is, this is, this is our fate  
I'm yours


	76. Chapter 76

"Harry, you realize how stupid this is?" I complained to my best friend Harry Styles. "We don't even celebrate Halloween over here, its an American holiday!" Today was October 31st, Halloween. Harry had forced me to join the rest of the boys from One Direction for some Trick or Treating and 'fun' in a so-called Haunted House that sat across from Harry's house on the opposite side on the street. Ridiculous. I tried dressing up as a pirate like Penelope Cruz in 'Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides'. It didn't really work… at least, I didn't think so. I had grown out my usually short brown hair just a little and stuck in a few hair extensions. I was wearing a pirate's hat, a short skirt with dark stockings and black knee-length boots, a very revealing white shirt with a small jacket over the top. My sword was made of foam, but only because I couldn't exactly carry around a real one. I had also overdone the eye shadow and eyeliner just a little.

Of course, Harry had taken the event a little too seriously; he had painted himself completely green and was wearing little more than bright purple boxers so he looked like the Incredible Hulk. In other words, incredible idiot. He also had no shoes on, instead deciding to walk down the streets in little more than his skin and underwear.  
"Oh, Nikki, stop complaining! Liam doesn't like girls that complain!" he told me with a smirk. I growled at him. Of course he knew about that. He just knew the things that I never wanted him to know, like how I was hopelessly, deeply, irreversibly head-over heels for Liam Payne. He was always kind to me, always there to look after me. Harry often brought me along to their practices, leaving me in the corner. But Liam always came over to say hi to me, even if the others were too busy to. He was smart, often giving me advice and his exam notes. He'd finished school last year, so he'd given me most of his study notes and pointers for tests and stuff. He's just really thoughtful and helpful.

It also helps that he's amazingly gorgeous. Liam's got perfectly straight, dirty blonde to brown hair and the most stunning chocolate eyes I've ever seen. He's a little taller than me, the perfect height. Liam's near flawless appearance matches his personality completely.  
"Hey Nikki, snap out of it!" Harry waved a green hand in front of my face. I squinted at him.  
"What?" He laughed at me.  
"Nikki. Come on, snap out of it! Or are you too busy fantasizing about Liam again?" I punched him.  
"Shut up, Harry!" I yelled at him, "You better not tell him or I'll die of embarrassment." He pulled me in for a hug.  
"Come on, you know I won't. Besides, I'm going to get you two together one day!" I snorted.  
"What, Harry Styles the pimp?" He scowled.

"The guys should be here soon," Harry told me. I nodded.  
It didn't take long for the boys to round the corner to join us. Zayn was a wizard, including a long black cape, stick in hand as a false wand. Louis had once again stolen Liam's Superman shirt that he wore underneath a white business shirt, his false glasses sitting on his nose. And Liam… Liam looked so sexy. He was dressed like a vampire. He was in more gothic styled clothes; black trousers and black dress shoes, a black dress shirt underneath an equally jet black cape. He must of stayed out of the sun for a week or two because his skin had none of the usual colour to it at all; instead, he was a deathly pale white, which created an intense contrast with the eyeliner he had applied. Liam put every vampire ever created, including Dracula, to shame.  
"Um… hi?" I more questioned rather than stated. Harry led us up to the doorstep of the Haunted House, giving me a knowing glance, raising his eyebrow.  
"Well, time for a little fun."

Harry pushed open the door and pushed me and the guys in, closing the door behind him. It was pitch black and cold. I could feel my teeth chattering.  
"Uh, Harry?" I asked into the darkness. There was no response. "Harry?" I repeated. I hadn't even moved forward yet.  
"How long has this place been left untouched?" Zayn asked. I breathed a sigh of relief. At least there was someone here with me.  
"Not sure, no one's bought it while I've been living here," Harry told us all. "So that's why I think it's haunted. And Nikki, try not to get scared." I glared at him, but realized there was no way he could have seen it.  
"Umpf!" I tried to punch him again.  
"Ow, that was me!"  
"Oops, sorry Niall. Can you punch Harry for me?"

We spent the next few minutes in silence, slowly sliding our feet forwards throughout the abandoned house. My eyes slowly began adjusting to the light, but it was still a creepy place to be. I looked into an old, cracked mirror that sat on the wall. There were cobwebs all over the place, around the rim of the mirror, in the corners of the ceiling, even hanging off pieces of discarded furniture wrapped in plastic covering, completely unused for what seemed like decades. I hate spiders…  
"Harry, can we leave now? This place is boring…" I tried my best to conceal my fear. But it obviously wasn't working. My voice gave me away; there was an unmistakable tremor.  
"Harry?" There was no response. "Guys?" Still, no response. I whirled around, only to be met by silence and emptiness.  
"Very funny, guys. Now come out!"

I walked back around the corner I had passed already, retracing my steps. Where had the boys gotten to? Where they doing this on purpose?  
"Hello? Anyone there?" I called. Not even a whisper. "This isn't funny anymore. Show yourselves." Silence. I shivered. There was a rustle from my left. "Guys?" The old windows rustled in the wind. Aside from that, there was no sound. Nothing else in the room, aside from my deep, shaky breaths.  
"Fuuuuccckkk…" I mumbled under my breath. I continued back the way I came, still no trace of the guys. You'd think Harry would have left a trail of green paint behind, but no. There was nothing to show that there had been anyone in the house in at least a decade, aside from the footsteps that I had left in the dust that had gathered over the floor the past few years, creating a white cloud in the air and dark patches where I had been.

I continued on my way, almost tripping over my own feet.  
"Please, someone! Anyone?" I was really freaking out by now. I kept going, looking for the front door. After I'd found it, I tried to open it repeatedly. It must have been locked on the other side. There was no way for me to get out of here, unless I climbed through a broken window, which quite frankly I couldn't do in this outfit. I felt myself tear up. Oh God. What if something happened to the boys? As if an answer to my call, there was a shuffling sound. I felt my breath quicken once again, as if I wasn't puffing fast enough already. I felt like an asthmatic.  
"Please tell me that's you guys," I asked the nothingness. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I practically screamed.  
"Shh, it's OK, Nikki. It's me, Liam!" The voice was definitely his. I tried to slow down my breath, but I found myself a blubbering mess.

"Liam, you gave me a friggin heart attack!" I shouted at him. He sighed and pulled me into a hug.  
"I think we were tricked, Nikki." He told me, holding me close. "I can't find the others anywhere." I nodded. I didn't put that past Harry, and Louis and Niall were open for any kind of joke. It was Zayn that I was unsure about.  
"You think so? But the door's locked…" I mumbled. He hushed me again.  
"Please, calm down Nikki!" he sat me on the floor and let me regain my composure a little. "We're fine. This place isn't haunted. Harry's just being a dick." I nodded.  
"So how do we get out?" I asked. He shrugged.  
"Window?" I was afraid of that.  
"I can't climb out the window, Liam. I'm in a skirt."

Liam led me to the lowest window he could find in the place, feeling his way around with one hand in front, the other secured tightly around my waist.  
"Don't worry. I promise not to look. I'll get out first, and you can climb down onto me." I nodded.  
"Thanks Liam…" He pulled a few wooden blocks off the window that bared our way, heaving as he did so. "You alright Liam?" he nodded.  
"Ouch!" he winced.  
"What's wrong?" I asked sacredly.  
"Don't worry, Nikki. Just a splinter…" he chuckled, pulling the window open. He climbed out, pulling his cape closer to his body so it wouldn't snag. "Ready?" I gulped, sticking one leg out the window. He grabbed it, pulling me into his waiting arms. Soon we were out of the 'Haunted House' and sitting in a heap on the overgrown garden.

I was still in Liam's arms. I didn't want to let go. But he also seemed content with this position. He licked his finger, trying to stop the cut from flowing.  
"We've got to get that fixed up." I told him pointedly. He nodded.  
"Yeah, later." I looked at him in confusion. "What? I want to sit here a while longer with you." Wait, what?  
"Uh, Liam? Why?" He kissed me on the lips. My eyes widened in surprise.  
"Because I really like you, Nikki." I gasped.  
"Liam, I really like you too!" He smiled, holding out his wounded finger to me.  
"Kiss it better?" I gave him a smirk.  
"Sure thing!" I kissed his finger, trailing kisses up until I reached his nose. "Liam, I think I love you." He kissed me passionately on the lips.  
"Same goes."

Our intimate moment was interrupted by a few extremely loud voices.  
"See Nikki! I told you I'd get the two of you together." I blushed wildly. It was Harry Styles and the other guys, standing across the street in Harry's front yard.  
"What the hell, Harry? You just left me in an old, run-down house!?" I screamed at him. He smirked at me, the others also smirking.  
"Well, yeah. It worked, didn't it?" I had to hand it to him, he was right.  
"Don't worry about him, Nikki," Liam told me, grabbing my arm and pulling me up. "Let's go hang out somewhere. Go Trick or Treating, it is Halloween after all." I nodded, ignoring the rest of the guys.  
"Wait, so you're just going to ditch us?" Harry yelled behind my back.  
"Yep." Liam said cheekily. I laughed. I knew I'd be safe with Liam… but I guess I'd still have to be thanking Harry later…


	77. Chapter 77

He's got something special  
He's got something special  
And when we kiss he gets me all sentimental

He's got something special  
He's got something special  
He's strong, he's smart, he knows a lot

He's got something special  
He's got something special  
And everywhere I go he's always on my mind

 **Miranda POV**

"Miranda! Pay attention in class!" There were a few snorts from my fellow classmates. I groaned and sat back up straight, picking up the pen that had fallen out of my hand. Yes, once again I was daydreaming through class. Why, you ask? Why, Liam Payne of course. The class smartass. The boy that always liked making fun of me because I wasn't as good as him in practically all my subjects. He was the top of our grade, and he didn't let anyone forget it. He had a whole bunch of loyal friends always surrounding him. Not only was he smart, he was also popular, and had an amazingly funny personality. Not to mention attractive! Liam Payne was everything I wasn't. I wasn't popular, I wasn't particularly smart, and I wasn't pretty.

Liam and I don't particularly get on. He's always reminding me how I should study harder, make more friends, actually pay attention in class… like he was some sort of know it all. That's why we'd never get together. Yes, I had to admit, I had feelings for the boy. I have no idea why… and it's more than some ridiculous physical attraction, although that was a part of it. He was kind and caring to everyone, and kept to himself when his friends weren't around him. I admit he's cute, but only then. He's a total jerk when his friends are around.

I glanced up at the clock. Almost the end of the period; just another five minutes of this boring, monotonous Mathematics lesson. Next up was Music, my favourite class. The only class Liam did with me, just us and another five students, and that was it. None of his annoying, loud friends took Music. The bell went and I collected my books off the desk, stuffing them into my bag. I headed out the door, down the stairs, and across campus until I found myself in front of two large glass doors that led to the Music rooms.  
Of course, Liam had followed me several paces behind the entire way. We never talked in Music class. I didn't want to talk to him, in case I betrayed my true feelings, and he never talked to me, probably because of his disdain for me.

He's got something special  
He's got something special  
And when we kiss he gets me all sentimental

He's got something special  
He's got something special  
He's strong, he's smart, he knows a lot

I'm always gonna be there  
He's a cutie, he'll always be my guy

 **Liam POV**

I followed Miranda as we made our way down to the Music rooms. This was my favourite subject, and also her favourite subject. We had an awful lot in common, but I knew she'd never admit it. She thinks I hate her, but that's only because I have to act all tough and smart in front of the guys. I actually know almost all there is to know about her, because I've had a crush on her for a few years now. We've always been in the same class, but because the guys were always in class with us I could never approach her. Not that I was too confident in doing so anyway. She's nice, bright, funny and bubbly, and she can be really hyper when she's around her friends. But with me she reverts to her usual, quiet, introverted self. That's why I never approach her.

Miranda's really pretty. She's got perfectly straight, long red hair that she always wears to the side in a long plait. She's tall, a little curvy, and she's always wearing a ratty old woolen friendship bracelet she got given by an exchange student that came a few years back. She has the most amazing ocean blue eyes I've ever seen, but I hardly ever see them without her dark-rimmed glasses that she so often wears in class. She's apparently short sighted, and has trouble reading our teacher's scrawls on the board from long distances. Despite this, she's always sitting at the back of class, daydreaming.  
I wanted to ask her out, I just didn't know how.

"Liam, please play us a song, and the class will analyze your performance," our Music teacher, Mr. White announced, sitting down at his desk. I nodded, stepping towards the piano. I took my seat, running my fingers over the keys. The rest of the class sat watching in silence, including her. Miranda. If there's one thing I've learnt about her, it's that she never zones out in Music class.  
"Whenever you're ready," I nodded. I was actually really nervous. I wanted her to like my voice. If she didn't, I would feel utter embarrassment. I took a deep breath and opened with a few chords on the piano, leading in to the song. I let myself go, singing as best I could…

He's got something special  
He's got something special  
And when we kiss he gets me all sentimental

He's got something special  
He's got something special  
He's strong, he's smart, he knows a lot

He's got something special  
He's got something special  
He's got something special

 **Miranda POV**

I looked on in surprise. Liam had an amazing voice, there was no mistake there. He was also very, very good at piano. And from watching him the past few lessons, he could also play guitar pretty well too. Like every single lesson, every single subject, Liam was the best.  
I loved his voice. It had perfect tone perfect in pitch, his voice not even flat or sharp. He had great posture, amazing projection, and an amazing vocal range. His performance was flawless, and I knew he could be famous with that voice. The class clapped after he had finished, and taken his seat back behind a desk.  
"Now, Miranda. I'd like you to analyze Liam's performance. What do you think?" I blushed wildly. All eyes turned to me.

"Um… I don't really know what to say… it was flawless.." Mr. White nodded.  
"Seeing as you are also a vocalist, what can you tell us about Liam's tone?" he asked. I thought for a moment.  
"Pretty perfect. Not at all out of tune, a nice rich sound. It sounded natural, not forced, just how it should sound… er… that's all I can think of." Liam was watching me now, carefully. He must be horrified that someone like me could say something like that about him. It was basically telling him I liked him. But he hates me…  
"Was there anything else you would like to add? Anything that Liam could work on to improve?" I shook my head.  
"No, not really…" I was blushing wildly by now.

"Good. Now, I want you all to go into separate rooms and practice in pairs for our exam next lesson. Liam, Miranda, you're in that room." I cringed, but obeyed my teacher nevertheless. It was just my luck I'd be paired up with Liam after I'd just literally lay my heart on the line just for him. I walked into the small practice room, Liam following close behind. I dropped my bag on the floor and closed the door behind him. I found a corner and went to sit in it, content some smart-ass comment was coming my way from that amazing singer's lips.

He's got something special  
He's got something special  
And when we kiss he gets me all sentimental

He's got something special  
He's got something special  
He's strong, he's smart, ho knows a lot

He's got something special  
He's got something special  
He's got something special  
He's got something special

 **Liam POV**

I watched Miranda carefully from the opposite side of the dingy practice room. There was hardly any floor space as half the room was occupied by a piano, which found the two of us in very close quarters indeed. I took out my books and sat down next to her on the carpet. She seemed content in facing the wall. I sighed, looking at her back.  
"Uh, Miranda… Do you want to work together?" I asked. She was bright red in the face.  
"Uhm… sure?" she half questioned half stated. I chuckled.  
"About before… did you really mean what you said about my singing?" the girl nodded, still facing the wall. "Please don't tell me a lie." I told her.

"You've got an amazing voice, and you're also pretty good with piano. If you want the truth, I'm really jealous of you, Liam. You're good at everything, you've got lots of friends, you're uh… never mind…" she trailed off. I looked at her expectantly.  
"I'm what?" I asked. She sighed.  
"Liam, you're really nice, sweet, caring to everyone. Everything about you is perfect." I shook my head at her.  
"No, you've got me mixed up with some other guy," I told her pointedly, "there's nothing particularly amazing about me. I just try my best and work hard, and sometimes that pays off." She looked at me incredulously.  
"Oh, and so the fact you look so hot is… wait, did I say that aloud?" She clamped a hand over her mouth, her ears changing to a dark red colour.

"Miranda, do you like me?" I asked. She nodded, turning back to the wall.  
"Yes. I know you don't like me though, so just forget about it. I'm a dumb, ugly, stupid loser." I shook my head, turning her back around.  
"No, you're not Miranda." I hugged her. I felt her gasp. "You're beautiful Miranda, both inside and out. I've had a crush on you for ages. You're not dumb, you're not stupid, and you're definitely not ugly." It was now or never. "Miranda, I really like you. I was wondering if you wanted to go out?" She turned to face me, her stunning blue eyes reading my brown ones, a look of disbelief written in them.  
"You… you're being serious, Liam…" she trailed off. I nodded.  
"Yes." I leant in for a kiss. I closed my eyes, planting my lips on her soft, pouting mouth. She sighed, releasing all the tension into the touch. I chuckled, trailing my tongue over her lips. After a minute of two I broke away, letting us both breathe. Music class was well and truly over; we'd gone into lunch. I grabbed her hand and led her out.  
"Come on, you're sitting with me and the guys from now on."


	78. Chapter 78

Circles, we going in circles  
Dizzy's all it makes us  
We know where it takes us we've been before  
Closer, maybe looking closer  
There's more to discover  
Find that what went wrong without blaming each other

The that we got more time  
One more falling behind  
Gotta make up my mind

 **Daria POV**

"Well, here we are honey. Welcome to your new home." I was ecstatic. Finally, my family had to relocate from Poland to England, all because of dad's work. He works for a big Polish gaming company called Gamelion, and seeing as the company wanted to expand across Europe, here we were. I'd always loved England, more so than any other European country, including my homeland. England was so beautiful, with all those lovely old buildings, all the history that goes with its Political power over the past few centuries. Lets just say England has always been an interest of mine.  
"Well, there it is." I smiled. The house was big, with a beautiful English garden out the front, filled with different coloured roses underneath a gorgeous oak tree. It was perfect.

"Woah, mum, this looks awesome." I spoke in Polish. My dad, of course, had been living here already for the past month because of work. He missed both mum and me, so he'd urged us to move over with him. Mum knew no English; she only ever spoke our mother tongue. Dad had always told me that being able to learn as many languages as possible was a blessing and opened doors, so I'd studied both English and Russian very heavily back at school in Poland.  
"Welcome, honey, Daria!" My father called from the doorway. I waved, jumping out of the car.  
"Hello, Tatus!" I called, speaking half English half Polish. I kissed him on the cheek. "I missed you." He pulled me into a hug.

"Well, this is your new home." I already loved it. We walked in the front door and he gave us a tour of the house. "This will be your room." My eyes widened. The room was at least twice the size of my room back in Poland. The walls were already painted my favourite green colour. There was a desk, a double bed with emerald sheets, and finally a bookcase that was empty, just waiting for me to stick all of my books in it.  
"Perfect," I told my dad. He gave me a quick squeeze.  
"Please get changed, moje dziecko. The next door neighbors wish to welcome you to England." I nodded, grabbing a pile of clothes. I walked into the shower and let the water cascade down my body, washing away all of the aches and pains of the long plane flight. I wondered what our next door neighbors would be like. If I were lucky, there would be someone my age that I could talk to, someone that could help me out, as my English wasn't perfect…

Or else we'll play, play, play all the same old games  
And we wait, wait, wait for the end to change  
And we take, take, take it for granted  
That will be the same  
But we're making all the same mistakes

 **Liam POV**

I was really excited. I'd been told a lot about the girl that would be my new neighbor by her father, a nice, tall, kind Polish man. He knew I was a member of the famous boy band One Direction over here, but he kept it to himself. He'd kept it from his daughter. I wondered if she knew about us over in Poland. I supposed she must have; we'd dominated most of the European charts last year with both our single and the album it came off.  
"Liam, are you ready. Is your room clean?" my mother called from down the hall.  
"Yeah," I replied, picking up a dirty tissue off the floor. "Now it is." I ran out to the kitchen and chucked the tissue in the bin.  
"Good. Now, please be nice to Daria. I'm not sure how much English she knows," I was reminded. I nodded.  
"No need to worry, mum." I reassured her.

The doorbell rang.  
"Go get it, Liam," my mother instructed. I nodded. I walked over to the front door, double-checking my fringe was straight in the small mirror that hung in the hallway. It was good.  
"Hello?" I called, opening the door.  
"Ah, Liam, nice to see you again," greeted my tall next door neighbor.  
"Likewise, Mr. Maciejewski!" I responded, holding out my hand to let him shake it. "You must be Mrs. Maciejewski and Daria of course, I greeted with a wave. Please, come in."

Wow. Mr. Maciejewski never told me his daughter was my age, and attractive at that! She was a perfect height, with short brown hair and a full front fringe and big brown eyes to match. She looked a little shy, and I wondered just how much English she actually knew.  
She had a rock-chick style appearance, with bright red skinny jeans, some ballet flats and a black band t-shirt that read 'Cool Kids of Death'. They must be some Polish rock band or something.  
"Welcome to England," I told them both. She had a beautiful smile.  
"Thank you. What is your name?" she asked in flawless English.  
"Liam Payne," I told her. "It's nice to meet you, Daria." I grabbed her hand. "I'll give you a tour, so we can hang out more!" She laughed the sweetest of laughs; it was like music to my ears.  
"Tatus, is it OK if I go with Liam?" her father nodded.  
"Enjoy yourselves."

Wake up, we both need to wake up  
Maybe if we face up to this  
We can make it through this  
Closer, maybe we'll be closer  
Stronger than we were before  
It made this something more, yeah

Think that we got more time  
One more falling behind  
Gotta make up my mind

 **Daria POV**

Liam was hot. He was wearing a lose shirt with tight fitting jeans and some runners. He had a perfectly straight dirty blonde fringe that would put Justin Bieber to shame. He also had wide, chocolate brown eyes that matched my own. He was kind, and very helpful towards me. I knew we'd get on very well as friends.  
But there were two things I wasn't going to let him know just yet…  
For one, I knew he was famous. I didn't really know why, but I knew he was. I'd seen his face not an hour before on the way here, our yellow taxi passing poster after poster of a group called 'One Direction'. I supposed they were a band of some sort.  
Secondly, it would be that I already liked him, as in more than a friend. Well, let's face it. How could you not be attracted to a face and body like that? He was fit, gorgeous, and sexy!

I followed on as Liam led the way around our street. It was all clean, paved, and perfect. The walkways had much more room than in Poland; you could walk side-by-side at least four people deep before you found an edge to the cracked concrete. Poland was a lot more jammed together, with little to no space for yourself.  
"This is the park," Liam told me, leading me into a grassed area. There was a tennis court with basketball hoops on either side. There was a play area for little kids that I'd often seen in Poland. It was empty now, the sun was just setting. "Me and the boys often come here to hang out and play a bit of football." I nodded.  
"This is a nice park. I think I will often spend time here."

"So, Daria. What do you like doing?" Liam asked. I thought for a moment.  
"Well, I like to write song lyrics. But, never in English you may have guessed. Polish… and sometimes Russian if I feel like it." His eyes widened.  
"Woah, that's so cool!" he told me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "What else?" I shrugged.  
"Also music. Sometimes I sing." He chuckled.  
"I guess we have an awful lot in common then!" he told me. I furrowed my brows.  
"You like to sing?" I asked.  
"Yes, all the time!" We sat down together on a wooden bench in the park, talking a little while more.

-

Or else we'll play, play, play all the same old games  
And we wait, wait, wait for the end to change  
And we take, take, take it for granted  
That will be the same  
But we're making all the same mistakes

Yeah, yeah, that's what crazy is  
When it's broken, you say there's nothing to fix  
And you pray, pray, pray that everything will be okay  
While you're making all the same mistakes

Don't look back  
But if we don't look back  
We're only running babe  
Out of me, cause ain't this  
Same mistakes again

 **Liam POV**

"So Daria… I suppose you have a boyfriend back in Poland?" she giggled at me.  
"No, actually," she said, running a hand through her short brown hair. "I am not one of the prettiest girls. Plus, the boys in Poland like girls that are cheerleaders, thus, I have never actually had a boyfriend before." I gave her a funny look.  
"Well, that's odd," I told her, "…Because I think you are quite beautiful." She blushed a wild shade of red, deciding to focus not on me but on a tree across the park.  
"Well, what about you, Liam. You have a girlfriend, right?" I shook my head.  
"No." She looked at me incredulously.  
"Are you being serious, or are you trying to be funny?" she asked. I shook my head.  
"I'm serious, no girlfriend." She smiled at me.

We sat in silence for a few more minutes. I looked up at the sky. It was dusk now, and the first of the stars were twinkling down on us. I sighed in contentment, turning to my new neighbor.  
"We should probably head back," I told her. But she looked so happy sitting there. So beautiful.  
"Uhm, but there's something I want to do first." She turned to watch me with surprise. I had a sudden urge to touch her, to press my lips to hers and share some of my feelings. I gasped at my own thoughts.  
"What would that be, Liam?" she asked.  
"Uhm… I know this is sudden, but can we kiss?" I asked sheepishly. She gave me a look, but nodded nonetheless.

"That is alright, for I also wish to kiss you. However, this will be my first kiss…" Her English was funny, but so cute and sweet. I leant forward, closing my eyes. She did likewise, and within seconds our lips had met. I pressed my lips to hers harder, letting myself get lost in the kiss. It was amazing; I felt sparks fly in my head. We were meant to be. I pulled away for air.  
"I really like you, Daria." I told her gently. She smiled that beautiful smile.  
"I like you too, Liam." We sat there a little while longer, each staring longingly into the other's eyes. I broke the silence.  
"Come, Daria. I think we should head back. Our parents might get worried." She giggled.  
"Five more minutes?" she asked cheekily. I couldn't say no.

So we play, play, play all the same old games  
And we wait, wait, wait for the end to change  
And we take, take, take it for granted  
That will be the same  
But we're making all the same mistakes

Yeah, yeah, that's what crazy is  
When it's broken, you say there's nothing to fix  
And you pray, pray, pray that everything will be okay  
Why you're making all the same mistakes


	79. Chapter 79

"Hey Shorty," I chuckled, taking my place in the classroom. I warranted a few glares from random girls. This was the same thing that happened every day. Every day I would walk up to my blonde best friend, Niall, and call him a Shorty. That was all fine and dandy, of course, until he went on X Factor. Things had changed then. People started paying attention to him, and he couldn't pay much attention to me. He was overly busy, working hard with the other members of his small boy band, called One Direction. Originally, he had been singing by himself but then they pushed a few of the boys into the groups section, including the sexy one Zayn Malik, the sweet one Louis Tomlinson, the crazy funny one Harry Styles, the camera-hog Liam Payne, and finally Niall Horan, my best friend.  
Niall and I have known each other since practically birth. My mum and his mum went to school and university together, and were best friends as well. So were our fathers. We even grew up together as next door neighbours, the families were so tight. Every Friday we have a movie night assigned were we swap between horror, comedy and your old-school Disney movies. Also, on Saturdays we usually help each other with the homework and then play video games or go outside for a little tennis. If its not raining. Me and my dad built the tennis court out the back ourselves. It's concrete, hard, but isn't much fun to play on when its raining. Giant puddles cover about half of the court even when it's only a cloudy day. Such is life in this small, dank and vastly vegetated Irish town, Mullingar in Westmeath. Its often cold but we don't mind it. Usually we just pile on more blankets.  
You probably know everything there is to know about Niall, so let me tell you more about myself. My name's Jordan Moore, but everyone calls me Jordy. I'm actually only sixteen years old, but I was pushed forward two years for more school stimulation. I guess you could say I'm smarter than your average person, but because I was accelerated up I have next to no friends. All the other kids my age think I'm weird and don't often hang around with me, unless, of course, I'm with Niall. Then they're all suddenly interested. I'm not too short, actually I am slightly taller than Niall; he's quite short too. We have a similar taste in just about everything, from our love of pop music to our hatred of dancing. But I am childish, more so than him. But I guess that's to be expected as I am younger. I really like that he's famous and all with One Direction, but I do miss the old Niall all the time. Things just aren't the same as they were before.

The classroom immediately went quiet as the teacher entered, reading through his textbook. It was a geography period, and I dreaded the boredom that usually ensues in this very room.  
"Class, turn to page 217," droned the teacher, Mr Jenkins. "Today we will be learning about lines of latitude and longitude." I sighed. Things couldn't get more boring, could they? Niall noticed my tribulation as I boredly turned the pages of my textbook one by one. We quickly began passing notes at the back of the classroom.  
'Why so bored?' he asked.  
'Because its Geography, why else?'  
He smirked at the comment.  
'It's Friday today.' He stated.  
I gave him the look.  
'Yes, I know. You can make it, right?'  
'Of course, it's tradition.'  
'So what are we going to watch, then?'  
There was a pause, before he scribbled some suggestions on the note.  
'We need something that the others will like.'  
My brows furrowed. I raised an eyebrow at him. He grabbed the paper back to explain himself.  
'I invited the boys over as well. Do you mind if they come over for movie night?'  
I tried my best to keep my emotions from showing, but my distaste must have shown, for Niall was within seconds scrawling an apology.  
'Sorry Jordy, but I thought you might like some extra company too.'  
Its not that I didn't like the other members of One Direction. I really did. They were all so nice. Its because it felt like Niall had broken some kind of silent promise. No one else had ever joined us on our Friday nights, and I had naively assumed that it would stay that way. I responded quickly.  
'Niall, its fine. What movie did you have in mind?'

Niall ran a few ideas by me, and before too long the period was over and we were out the door, at our lockers and leaving the school gates. Niall and I always walked home together, because his small, bricked cottage home was right next to mine. The twenty minute walk was passed in silence. The fence between our houses was so low, we usually just jumped over it if we knew the other had spare time. I smiled at the thought. I waved at him as I walked over to my house and he to his, and we stepped in the door at the same time. I went upstairs to get changed, left to my own thoughts. What did I really feel for Niall? I had known him my whole life and had come to depend on him. My heart… it would often beat faster when I saw him or spoke to him, or when he would accidentally brush up against me as we would lie on my bed or on the floor on Saturdays. But what did this all mean? Emotions confused me even at the best of times. Perhaps I felt something deeper than friendship for him?

"Nah," I shrugged myself off, running to the wardrobe.  
I put on my short denim shorts and a white singlet with my light pink loose shirt over the top. It was basic but it would do. I tied my light brown hair in a messy bun on top of my head, leaving my caramel highlights to droop down over my shoulders. Grey-blue eyes stared back at me through the mirror. After about an hour had passed, I made my way across to Niall's house, through the garden by jumping over the fence. It was cold out as usual, and I picked up my shoes and clapped them together when I made it to his back verandah, making sure not to bring any mud with me. I set my shoes against a brick next to the doorway, straining my ears to hear if we already had company. Which we did. I sighed, and was about to knock before the door was flung open before me.

"Hey Jordy, ready for an awesome movie night?" It was Liam, his usual bubbly self. Harry jumped up and down behind him.  
"Come on, Jordy, I want you to sit with me." I was led by the fuzzy-haired boy to the couch in Niall's living room. Already set up were several bean bags strewn across the floor. A pile of DVDs sat in the centre of the room. Zayn and Louis were already going through them excitedly. Niall stepped into the room with a tray of mugs filled with steaming hot chocolate.  
"Ah, you're here, Jordy," he said happily. He trailed off as he looked down at my hand enlaced in Harry's. He placed the tray on the wooden coffee table and walked quickly out of the room. Zayn got up, walked over to Harry and shoved him off me.  
"Now look what you've done!" he growled. But Harry was completely oblivious to what his actions had caused. How quickly things could spiral out of control. I was confused myself.

Perhaps now was as good a time as any to confront my feelings. Judging from the reaction of Zayn against Harry, and also by the swift, angered movement of Niall, I knew there was something, some kind of emotion, that Niall felt for me. Zayn was as good as anyone at reading situations, and I trusted his judgment above my own.  
"Niall," I called, walking down the hallway. "Niall?" My bare feet sunk into the light, cream-coloured carpet. Finally, I had made it to the plain, white door that stood between me and Niall's room. I knocked as quietly and calmly as I could.  
"Niall, what's wrong?" I heard a grunt in response.  
"Go away, Jordan." Something was definitely wrong. My full name never passed through Niall's lips unless he was either angry or upset with me. I ignored his pleas, turning the silver, worn door-handle and pushing the door between us open. He was sitting on the floor on the opposite side of his bed from the door, staring out the window.  
"Hey you," I placed an arm on his shoulder and sat down beside him.  
"Hey," he responded mechanically. I rolled my eyes.

"OK, Niall, if you think anything's going on between Harry and me, you're wrong," I said pointedly. "He's not serious enough for me." He snorted at my comment.  
"I don't know if he likes me or something," I continued in a mutter, "but I honestly don't have any feelings for him. He's probably joking around about it anyway." I heard Niall's quick intake of breath. Perhaps in relief? I smiled as I watched his reflection in the window.  
"So, now that's all cleared up, I have a question for you." I poked him on the forehead. "Why'd you run out on us like that?" He closed his eyes and turned to face me. I laughed as I took in his coloured cheeks.  
"Actually, Jordy, I do have feelings for you." Although I expected it, I couldn't fully prepare myself for his confession. I wrapped an arm around him and pulled him into a hug, hiding my own blush as I rested my chin on his shoulder.

"I… feel the same way," I whispered into his ear. "I never really thought about it, but I guess I've always felt the same way, this… connection I have to you." I thought back to when I was so upset he had left me to go on X Factor. All those days he never came to school, leaving me quite alone to my own devices. I have to admit I was lost without him. I missed him. Even him inviting the boys here today seemed to ruin anything we had between us, at least in my opinion. Like the last sacred thing, where only the pair of us were involved, had been stolen from me. But now I think I understand a little more why I felt that way. And it isn't any longer an issue.  
"Niall, I think I love you," I uttered, placing a kiss on his cheek. "And I always have." Niall gave a sharp exhale and I felt him run a hand across my cheek. I hadn't realized I had been a little teary. He kissed me gently on the lips.  
"So can we be more than friends?" he asked quietly. I nodded, and he stood up, lifting me behind him.

We both walked, hand in hand, down the hallway and to the living room. The other boys sat around the living room waiting patiently. Even Harry Styles looked more subdued than usual.  
"Well?" Zayn asked pointedly. Niall burst into a large smile, and I couldn't help but also grin like a crazy person.  
"Well, Jordy's now my girlfriend." Liam gave me the thumbs up and patted the floor next to him. I complied, sitting down next to him and pulling the blanket over myself."Come on you two lovebirds, we're missing out on movie night!" he complained with a grin on his face. Perhaps Harry did feel something for me, but I guess he'd get over it eventually.  
"Well, what did you guys decide to watch, then?" I asked. "Hopefully comedy."  
"Yeah. We got out 'Johnny English Reborn' from the video store!" Liam said.  
"Awesome!"  
We all sat watching the movie, breaking in to fits of laughter every time something ridiculous happened to Rowan Atkinson. Even Harry managed to form a smile every once in a while. I sat with Niall the whole night, my head resting on his lap. I could just about stay this way forever. 


	80. Chapter 80

**Louis Tomlinson POV**

"Please welcome the boys from One Direction to 'Sunrise', Australia's favourite breakfast program!" we were ushered onto the stage, all of us waving and mucking about like we usually do. We waved to the crowd of girls that had gathered around outside the studio on the street, and took our seats next to presenters.  
"So boys, you reached the Finals on the X Factor back in 2010, but you didn't win. Where you put out by that?" Liam shook his head.  
"No, not at all. We were really happy to know we had already gathered a large fan base, and one thing led to another and we found ourselves with a record deal. Of course, Simon Cowell has been a big hand in our popularity. Without him, we couldn't have made it." We all nodded in agreement.  
"Simon may be a party pooper, but he's an awesome instructor!" I told them. They laughed.

"Well, welcome to Australia, boys! You're doing a few shows all over the place, including here in Sydney. Are you surprised at the number of fans here already?" Zayn nodded, giving his trademark sexy smile to the camera. I giggled at him.  
"We didn't expect all the girls over here, being so far away from England. But we love each and every one of you." His announcement earned a well deserved round of screams from the girls outside.  
"Now here's the question on everyone's lips… would you boys go out with an Australian girl?" Harry smirked.  
"Yeah, of course! Love the accent. Really cute." I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, Australian girls are hot, especially if they surf. We don't get to see girls in bikinis too often over in Europe, what with the weather." Niall noted. "Actually, we've got free time this afternoon, so we'll be down at the beach. Hope to see as many of you girls there as possible." I raised an eyebrow. We'd all agreed before not to mention that, just in case we got mobbed or something.  
We were asked more questions and played a song or two before being bussed back to our hotel. It was a nice sunny day, perfect for beach weather. I couldn't wait. Back in England, we'd heard a lot about famous Australian beaches, like how they're always covered in hot tanned chicks, the water's amazing, and the sand is always clean and a pristine white colour. This is a great contrast to European beaches. It's so much cleaner, fresher, and exciting!

 **Kat Martin POV**

It was another bright and sunny day. The sky was a perfect bottle blue, the waves that raced up and down the yellow-white sand slightly darker, but reflecting perfectly the sky above. The water wasn't too choppy, just perfect for surfing conditions. I raced out the door, wearing my trademark black bikini, my nails also painted black. I had blue denim short shorts on over the top, and a plain, worn tank top. I stuck on my thongs and grabbed my surfboard.  
"Hey Kat, heading to the beach?" I looked over the fence.  
"Hey Jason. Yeah, I'm heading off. Wanna join me?" He nodded.  
"Yeah, sounds good." Jason and I had grown up together, up here on the coast. We lived in an area called 'Narraweena', that means something in Aboriginal but I'm not sure what. It's situated between Dee Why and Manly, so it's in the middle of several popular beaches. I love it here.

"Yeah, surf's good," Jason told me, slicking back his dark brown hair. I laughed at him.  
"Don't fall off your board, Jas." He gave me an annoyed look.  
"Like that would happen." He removed his t-shirt and lay it down on the sand, sticking it in his bag. I lay out my rainbow towel and did likewise, also taking my thongs off and sticking them in the bag. Jason didn't wear thongs, instead deciding to walk bare-foot down to the beach. We lived close enough to the water for the hot concrete not to be a problem on his feet. We grinned at each other, as we always did, before launching full pelt, surfboard in hand, into the water.

Once I was waist deep in the water, I dived, wetting myself completely. I flicked my long, blonde hair up and over my head into a messy bun. I jumped onto the surfboard, straddling it. The water was nice, not too cold but warm enough to be pleasant. I looked out to sea, watching as the waves drew closer and closer, stepping up and standing on the board every now and then, catching a wave in. The swell was pretty strong today, but I was used to strong tides so it was perfectly safe for me.

 **Louis Tomlinson POV**

"Well, here we are!" Liam cried, marching down onto the sand. The beach was almost completely empty, even though it was a really hot day.  
"Where is everyone?" I asked. Niall shrugged and Zayn smirked.  
"Well, it may be school holidays, but it seems all the adults still work." Liam nodded.  
"Yes, probably. Oh well, it's good to have the beach practically to ourselves," he said, lying down on his towel. I sat down next to him and flicked sand on him. "Stop it, Louis!" he yelled, brushing himself off. "I need to get me a tan." Zayn laughed at him.  
"Yeah, Liam's pasty. Everyone knows tanned skin is a turn-on." To prove his point, he ripped off his t-shirt and showed off his well-built, tanned body. I kicked his leg. I was right. Zayn is vain, no jokes there.

"Come on! Let's go in the water!" Niall yelled childishly. I nodded wildly, grabbing Harry's arm.  
"Let's chuck him in!" I shouted boisterously. Niall laughed, grabbing Harry's other arm. We dragged him down to the water, kicking and screaming.  
"Let me take my clothes off first!" he yelled. I laughed maniacally at him.  
"No! I don't need to see your naked body again!" I groaned. He smirked at me.  
"Why Louis, like what you see." I shook my head.  
"There isn't much there, mate!" He glared at me and turned to Niall.  
"We can't let this pass, Niall!" he exclaimed, linking arms with the Irish boy. "Let's throw Louis in!" Niall nodded enthusiastically and shoved me forward.  
"No!" I yelled playfully. The guys pushed me in. I fell face forward into the water. "Hey, that wasn't nice!" I threw back at them. They merely laughed. I swum deeper and deeper. The water was so nice and calming. I could live here!

Once I decided I'd had enough, I tried swimming back to shore. After about ten minutes I found myself in exactly the same spot as before. Shit.  
"Um, guys… I can't get back!" I yelled. Liam looked up at me.  
"He's not being serious," he mumbled, lying back down. I shook my head.  
"I'm being serious Liam!" I yelled back. This time he watched me carefully, he must have heard the tone of desperation in my voice.  
"Guys, trouble!" he shouted to the others. "Louis, do you know what to do in a rip?" I shook my head. I didn't get to the beach often. I felt myself sludge around in the water a bit longer. It wasn't a clear blue as it was before, instead it resembled a churned up mess of sand and white foam.  
"Help!" I yelled. I felt myself going under.

 **Kat Martin POV**

"Help!" I whizzed around, looking anywhere and everywhere for that voice. I guess it was just some instinct I had, and that was to save. All I could see was white bubbly foam over the surface of the water. I decided it would be better to look up over at the beach. Surely enough, there were a bunch of pasty boys looking over into the water in a mixture of fear and dismay. I caught the next wave in as quickly as I could and ran to the group.  
"Hi. You guys look like you need help. Where's your friend?" I asked. A boy with curly hair looked me up and down.  
"I uh…" He was lost for words. I growled at him, slapping him in the face.  
"You, tell me where you last saw your friend," I instructed a short, blonde-haired kid. He pointed out into the waves. There was obviously a rip there. I nodded, handing the surfboard to him.  
"Look after this. I'll be back."

I ran to the water, taking large steps as I tried to jump wave after wave. Once the water was deep enough, I dived down, opening my eyes under water. After years of surfing, I was well used to the salt water on my eyes by now. I squinted, looking around for any trace of the boy. They weren't Australian; the boy I spoke to had an Irish accent. They couldn't be used to swimming in the ocean then… Finally, I spotted the boy. I raced up for a mouthful of air, doing a quick roll and diving deeper down. I grabbed the boy around the waist, kicking with all my might until we surfaced in the churning ocean. He didn't look too good; in fact, he was unconscious.  
"Stay with me," I whispered, wrapping his arm around my neck and swimming sideways. After about thirty seconds, we were back on shore. The boy's friends crowded around me as I dragged him out of the water.

"Move!" I yelled, laying the boy on the ground. I looked at him. If I wasn't quick, this could end badly. I pressed my ear to his bare chest, listening intently. There was still a heart beat, though it was faint. This should only involve compression. "You're not going to die on me!" I yelled at the limp form. I pressed both hand on his chest, pushing as hard as I could on his chest as quickly as I could, bobbing up and down as I did so. This time I was lucky. He choked out a little water on about the tenth compression, so I quickly turned him to the side, letting him cough it all out. As he coughed and spluttered I sighed, regaining my breath. He tried standing but I pushed him down, keeping him on his side.  
"Stay there a few minutes." I instructed. The other boys looked at me in amazement.  
"What?"

 **Louis Tomlinson POV**

There was nothing but never ending darkness. I could feel myself sinking further and further out of reality, into some sort of unreality that I'd never experienced before. It was an odd feeling, like the feeling you get right before you fall asleep after a hot glass of milk in the evening. The guys! Where were they? Then I remembered. They were back on the shore, and I was here, drowning, caught in a rip. I tried to struggle, to swim upwards. But I had absolutely no energy left in reserve.  
"Stay with me…" It was only a whisper, but I knew someone was close to me. Someone was saving me. I didn't recognize the voice, but it was obviously female. I felt myself falling unconscious again…  
My eyes fluttered open. I coughed, watching as salty water came out of my mouth and seeped out into the sand that surrounded me. I tried getting up.

"Stay there a few minutes." I was pushed back on my side. It was the same voice, a sweet, angelic, caring voice. It had an Australian accent, so beautiful.  
"You… you saved Louis!" I heard Harry stutter. "We… uh… thank you!" I tried getting up again. I was weak, but at least I was alive. I turned around to see the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. Tall, tanned, and angelic.  
"Ah, looks like someone's better. So you're name's Louis, eh?" she asked. I nodded, my mouth agape.  
"You… you saved my life, even though you don't know who I am." She gave a small nod, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment.  
"Really, it was nothing." She assured me, grabbing a surfboard Niall was holding. "You need to be more careful, Louis."

She started walking away. I tried getting up frantically.  
"No… please don't leave just yet!" I yelled at her retreating figure. She turned and looked at me quizzically. "Stay with me." She sighed, laying down her board and sitting on it.  
"Take it easy!" she said, patting the board next to her. "So you're from England, aren't you?" she asked. I nodded.  
"Yeah. How did you know?" She gave me a 'duh' look.  
"Well, the accents a dead giveaway." I looked at her sheepishly.  
"At least tell me your name. You saved my life." She smirked at me.  
"Not in love with me, are you Louis?" she asked. I coughed involuntarily. Her eyes widened. "Wait, you are?" I nodded. "Well, it's a good thing you're hot mate!" she grinned wildly. "The name's Kat." I leant forward and pressed my lips to hers.  
"I owe you my life. Um… can we go out sometime?" I couldn't help but grin stupidly to her nod in response. "You're my angel…"


	81. Chapter 81

My eyes barely accustomed to flashing cameras when I was blinded again, this time by neon lights in a club. I blinked a few times and made my way straight to the bar, pulling my date with me.

I ordered two shots and didn't hesitate with drinking it all at once. I knew I'd need much more alcohol in my blood if I had to spend more hours with this blonde girl. I looked at her and slightly took in her features. Sure thing was, she was gorgeous. She looked like a doll with those big blue eyes and straight blonde hair, her figure skinny, but not without nicely developed chest area and long legs. She was perfect enough to met my standards, but I was tired of that. I was tired of having only perfect things in my life.

"Harry, babe, are you listening?" high pitched voice interrupted my thoughts and I realized my blonde date was talking to me.

I smiled and opened my mouth to answer her, but she only rewarded me with a smirk and continued her babbling only she knew what about. My eyes started to scan the room, again completely forgetting about the girl next me, and I could swear my heart skipped a beat as I spotted _her_.

She was far from perfect, but she was still the most fascinating girl there. Her long wavy hair fell like a brown waterfall on her arms, huge smile played on her lips as she laughed with her friends and her curvy figure, moving perfectly to the rhythm, made my pants tight from just a mere sight at her. I smirked to myself and turned to my date.

"Courtney, let's dance," I said loudly to her, hoping she heard me through the loud music.

She nodded, too eagerly for my own liking, and we made it to the dancefloor just as _Rihanna'_ s voice echoed through the air and her song _Only Girl_ came in. I leaded her not far from the girl I saw earlier, close enough without appearing like a stalker and I rolled my eyes as Courtney pushed her hips to mine instead of real dancing. I twirled her around, so she had her back to me and ignored as she pushed her bum to me. Normaly I wouldn't waste any time flirting with her before taking her back to my hotel room for some fun. But now I actually find it annoying and I took in the features of the brown haired girl.

She truly looked incredibly hot as swaying her wide hips to the music, letting her hair fell down on her arms and with that small smile on her face she simply was gorgeous. I smirked as one of her friends noticed me starring and whispered something in her ear, only making her laugh. But she turned around and as my eyes met with the beautiful hazel ones it almost felt like the world had stopped for a while. She winked at me before continuing dancing, completely ignoring my presence.

I laughed out, frustrated she wasn't already by my side, but at the same time thankful for that. I like challenges. I grabbed hand of my date and pulled her back to the bar, not noticing how her face lighten up thinking we were heading home.

"You have to go," I said simply as I situated myself on a bar stool and ordered myself another shot.

"What?" she gasped at me and I almost laughed at her expression as she widen her already big eyes and pouted.

"You really are beautiful girl, but I just don't feel the connection. I am sorry, it's my fault," I explained, not feeling sorry at all. All I could think of was that stunning girl, who didn't throw herself at me.

"You know what, you are an idiot!" Courtney yelled and turned on her heel before angrily walking out of the club.

I gulped my drink and opened my mouth to ask a bartender for another one, but was interrupted by a girl's voice.

"Three beers," the girl ordered and as I looked at her, my lips curved into a smile.

"Hello there beautiful," I said smugly as I stared at the girl I wanted.

"Do I know you?" she asked and even she tried, she couldn't hide her smirk. God, could she get any more attractive?

"I don't doubt it," I winked confidently.

"Oh, Mr. here is a snob," she laughed and looked away from me.

"Harry Styles," I introduced myself and pull out my hand for a shake, hoping it would catch her attention.

"Should I be interested?" she said without looking at me, only making me long for her more.

"You most certaintly should," I said confidently. "At least tell me your name."

"I am not so easy, Mr. Styles," the girl winked at me before walking back to her friends and leaving me with a soft smirk playing on my lips. It only took me a second to recover and I followed her to her friends.

"C'mon and dance with me baby," I said to her ear as I reached her and ignored her giggling friends.

"What if I'd say no?" she asked me sexily looking at me through her eyelashes.

"There is no way of walking out, love," I smiled and pulled her to the dancefloor without waiting for her answer.

She closed her eyes and started to dance to the music immediately and I just stopped moving and simply stared. What was so special about her? What was that one thing which made me to run after? She turned around and swayed her hips right to every beat, causing my heart raced. I took her hand and pulled her closer to me, chuckling at her surprised face.

"Do you know I've been watching you all night? There's just something about you, something in your eyes that makes me wanna be yours," I smirked down at the beauty in my arms.

"It's Tina," girl smiled at me and continued dancing, but this time without trying to escape me.


	82. Chapter 82

I walk in my favorite little coffee shop in Mullingar, Ireland. "Aye, Carney! The usual please." He smiles under his scruffy beard and mustache "You got it Elisha" After he handed me the coffee he sat down. "Aye, Elisha? My nephew is coming home from touring today and maybe you could hang out with him?" I flashed a smile "Of course Carney, anything for the best coffee place owner in Ireland" He laugh causing his beard to toss around "Ahh, that's my favorite costumer" He picked up his rag and left whistling.

About 25 minutes later Carney shouted atme "Im gonna close up a little early, My nephew should be here soon" "Mmmk" I said sipping my coffee. I pull out my Hipster style reading glasses and 'The Hunger Games', I got bored and pulled out my iPod and played 'Up All Night'.

Niall's POV: I walk into my uncle's coffee shop and I spot a girl dancing around while cleaning tables. She had shoulder length, layered brown hair. She looked about 17 she was wearing black skinny jeans and a white tanktop and black vest. I smiled she was cute. I walk up and tap her on the shoulder and she screams and trips.

Reg POV: I take out my iPod headphones and stand up "Ugh, how long have you been standing there?" I try to smile, he laughs this cute sorta machine gun style laugh which makes you laugh too. "Long enough to see your cute dance moves" He winks trying copy me. "You uncle Carney wants me to hang out with you today" He kisses my temple "Come on... uh... princess lets go" He takes my hand and pull my into the nearest Nandos after we order I smile at him and he copies me. "So... um blonde boy..? What's your name?" He looks at me dumbfoundly "You don't know who I am?"

Niall's POV: She crossed her teal eye as if trying to think hard, I laugh and stick out my hand for her to shake it "Well, I'm Niall Horan. 1/5 of One Direction" She pursed her lips "Well Niall, Im Elisha 1/3 of my family" I take her hand and kissed it she giggles and blushes "Hey, dude your slobbing all over my hand. Normally I would be okay but I don't know you like that" She winks, I raise one eyebrow "No, princess that isn't slobbering this is" I taker her hand back and start to lick it. She presses her lips in a line as if she's mad but her face is as red as a tomato. "Man, licking is for dogs" I laugh at the way she says man, I get real close to her ears and whisper "Or it's just for faces...Man" She buries her head in my chest to hide her embarresment.

Reg POV: OHMYGOSH, my insides are fluttering. THE NIALL HORAN is flirting with me, just stay calm Elisha. He grabs my hand and pulls me out of the restaurant, I look at him questioningly "I paid for it , even thoughtwe didn't get food yet." He laces his fingers with mine and I smile at him. "Eh, princess lets go dancing" He whispers in my ear giving me shivers. "Um where Nialler?" He grabs my iPod "Wh-wait" Too late he already turned it on, he smirks seeing that my background is a picture of him shirtless. I bite me lip embarresed. He kisses my nose "That's cute don't be embarresed" I smile and he turns on 'More Than This' and grabs my waist pulling me close.

Niall's POV: I place my forehead against hers and sing. I can't take it anymore and smash my lips against her. At first she just stood there and I thought I runied everything but then she kissed back and I smiled. I grabbed her hand "Be my princess?" She giggled and nodded and we just swayed to the music in front of Nandos.


	83. Chapter 83

Louis' POV: "Zayn, when is your cousin coming!?" Harry begged to know "She'll be here soon!" Zayn says excited. I begged to know too, I've seen pictures of her she's gorgeous! "What's her name again?" Liam asked, "Maggie, but we call her Jo" Zayn smirked. Zayn's phone rings and he leaves to answer it. "Harry, can you NOT take this girl again, you always steal our relatives" Niall says irrated. Liam and I nod, It's not fair he always get the girls. Zayn peeks his head around the corner "Aye, lads we have to go pick up Maggie at her house, there was a communication mix up n' stuff" I link arms with Harry and we skip off singing " _Were off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz."_ You could hear Niall's laugh from a distance.

Maggie's POV: AHHH, Im SO excited to see Zayn and the boys, espically Louis. I stare at thier poster in awe while packing. I try to pick out outfit to impress Louis... Hmm I know he likes stripes and red. I pick out ablue and white stripped tank top, red skinnyjeans, whiteSperry's and curl my hair and add acoat of mascara and pink lipgloss. I lookin the mirror "Looking good" I laugh trying to give my self a pep talk. I put on 'I wish' and slowly drift off.

Louis' POV: Maggie lives pretty far away and I hate car rides, but she's worth it. Zayn moves the top mirror in the car so he can see us "Now, lads don't you try anthing with Jo, she's a beautiful girl that's been hurt a few to many times. And I mean it Harry" We all laugh "No promises" we say unison. We pull up to Maggie's house and knock on the front door.

Zayn's POV: "Mmm, no answer" I dig around under the mat and find the key. I find Maggie asleep in her room. I pick her up and lay her on the living room couch while I get her bags.

Louis' POV: Wow, this girl is gorgeous, she looks about 18. She has Zayn's looks, dark skin, beautiful big brown eyes and hair the flows. I look at her outfit she has on stripes and red! I give Liam a look like 'OH MAH LORD, I GOTTA MAKE THIS GIRL MINE' look and he gives me a "Daddy Direction approves" nod.

Maggie's POV: I wake up to 4 boys starring at me "AHH" I scream and accidentaly fall of the couch. Liam and Niall help me up. Zayn comes running down the stares "WHAT HAPPENED" I sigh, typical protective Zayn. Louis puts his arm around me, I felt electricity run through my body. "We were just help Mags here wake up" Louis explains grinning ear to ear at me, I blush but try to turn away to hide it. Too late, Niall pinches my cheeks "Awe, does wittle Maggie Waggie have a wittle crush on Lou?" I scoff I try to answer something back smart but I just studder, I bury my face in Zayn's chest to hide my embarrement.

Louis POV: My heart fluttered when red spread across her cheeks. Zayn laughs and just shakes his head. "Let's head back home" Zayn puts a huge,wet, sloppy kiss on her cheek with a big "Mwah!" Sound at the end. "BLEH!" She yells rubbing her face, we get up to leave and she asks "Arggg, Im tired carry me?" She puts her best puppy dog face on. Zayn laugh and points to Liam "Only cause I trust you" "UH AND NOT ME" Niall scoffs pretending to be offended. "It's okay Niall, you can carry me anytime" Harry retorts, I feel kinda sad I didn't get to carry her.

Liam's POV: I pick her up bridal style and she rests her head on my chest. I would never try anything with her though, Lou likes her too much. Even thought she beautiful, I set her down on Louis' lap in the car because there aren't enough seats in the tiny car "You welcome mate" I say with a wink, he smiles cheekily.

Louis POV: She is beautiful when she sleeps, which is great but she slept all day well for 3 hours. But considering we got home 2am I can understand. When we get home I set her on the couch and let her sleep on me for a while.

Maggie's POV: I wakeup crying, I had a terrible nightmare that my whole family died. I check my phone it reads: 5am. I sigh and look over and see Louis, I'm resting my head in his lap. "Louis, uh what are you doing?" I shout-whisper pushing my hair back. Gosh he's hot. "He- uh- I- uh- Liam- carry" He mumbles back I laugh "Its okay dude"

Louis POV: I grab Maggie's hand and pull her to the balcony, she grabs her purple glasses first. I wrap my arms around her waist pulling her back close to my stomach "This is were I go to think" I whisper in her ear. "Its so beautiful out here" She says as she takes a deep breath, I turn her around "Not as beautiful as you" She blushes and I smash my lips on her and she immeditaly kisses back, I kissed her lightly and she smiles.

Maggie's POV: I pull away smiling and Louis' takes my hands "You know, I sorta liked you ever since Zayn showed me your picture" He confesses, I stroke his face "And I've loved you ever since the X-Factor" I bravely saw and plant another kiss on his lips. He picks me up and spins me around, sets me down and kisses all over my face. I giggle "Lou, stop! That tickles" He grins "NEVER!" and he kisses me more, I bury my head in his chest and he rest his head on head. "Be mine?" He whisper in my ear "A million times yes!" I shout kissing him again.


	84. Chapter 84

_'They say she's in the class A team, been this way since 18. But lately her face seem slowly sinking, wasting, crumbling like pastries.'_  
Hi, allow me to introduce myself. Im Ellissa, Im 18 and have dark skin and brown, straight hair that falls to my shoulders. I love roller coasters, rain, Paramore and Pretty Little Liars. Im pretty much like any other teen except I'm homeless.

 _-5 Months Ago-_  
 _-Flashback-_  
 _I was a normal day for me, working minimum wage and a local diner. I was just picking up my paycheck from my stingy boss, as he hands it to me he gives me an apologetically. Why? Cause I already look homeless, I was malnourished and dirty, It's my parents. They don't love me._  
 _I give a fake smile and head on my way, as I head up to my apartment door I hear fighting "Drunk... again" I mumble. My dad turns to me and grabs my check "Hey! That's mine!" He slaps me and yells for me to get out, so I do. And of course with my luck the next day I'm fired. So what do I do?_  
 _I'm forced to a life of prosititution..._

 _-Current time-_  
 _'They scream, the worst things in life come free to us. And were all under the upper hand, go mad for a couple grams. And we don't wanna go outside, tonight, and in a pipe we'll fly to the Motherland. Or sell love to another man.'_

I look into a cracked mirror fixing my hair and makeup "I don't wanna live like this!" I scream, why me? Why did I have to live like this? "Ellissa, you did this to yourself, you no good" I whisper, I start to cry a little and wipe my mascara.

I walk around the street a little and a really nice car pulls up and rolls down the window. "I can't let you stay out here like this." The person says, I shrug, why does someone even care about me. "It doesn't matter, Im nothing more than a dirty prostitute" My voice cracks a bit. "Listen, girl, I don't care who you are noone deserves to live like this. Now get in" He demands. My eyes go a bit wide and he seems to notice, he pats my hand sending comfort to me. "No, listen I'm not looking for that, I'm not gonna hurt you. I just wanna help you" I relax a bit and open the car.

Niall's POV: This poor girl didn't look any older than 17, a prositute by force and homeless. She looks so tense and she's hardly moving, so I reach over and pat her leg. Even thought it's lightly she jumps "Im sorry miss I didn't mean to scare you" She forces and smile yet tears run down her face, she's strong, must of had a rough life "It's okay" She whispers as we arrive to my apartment she hesitates , but I grab her hand and pull her in, even thought she has on jeans and a tanktop the lads give her weird looks.

Normal POV: I see 4 other boys and I tense up immediatly. Niall leans over and whispers "Listen, it's okay we don't want to do that. I'm just trying to help" I smile a little. A curly haired boy bounces over to my and slips $20 bucks into my hand, I gasp and hold Niall closer and murmur "Niall?" He stokes my cheek, but he slaps Harry "Haz? Why whould you do that!?" He smirks "Because she's clearly a mmm, mmm" Harrys avoids saying the word.

Niall's POV: Tears drip down the girls face, she's hurt. She wants to be more than just a hooker. "A prosititue?" She answers for him. "Of course!" Harry's smile returning "Well can't I be more? I've been abused, raped, beaten, starved.. I've had it all, I'm only 17. I've never felt love, my parent kicked me out and stole anything I had. I forced to be this." She looks down and sniffs. Liam takes her hand and takes her to the kitchen and sets her on the counter.

Liam's POV: "So?..." I say trying to get her name out of her, she sticks out her hand "Ellissa, you?" I smile "Liam, Liam Payne and this is Zayn" I say pointing to him, he gets a goofy grin on his face "VAS HAPPENIN'?" she giggles, this girl is WAY more than a prostitue. A smile doesn't leave her face "Why so happy?" Louis asks strolling in, she bites her lip "Noones ever been nice to me before" Louis taps her chin "Well get used to it, we will never hurt you" Her stomach growls loud! "When's the last time you ate?"

Normal POV: I grimce "Sunday..." I meekly reply "Sunday?! Today's Friday! You havent eaten in 5 days." Liam shouts, I look down and Zayn immediatly pulls a sandwhich and hands it to me "Eat up" I quickly scarf it down.

Niall's POV: I walk into the kitchen and she Ellissa scarfing down a sandwhich, I pat her on the back and she jumps. Wow, she's been through alot "Now that's my girl" I say smiling at her. She burps a small burp " 'Scuse me" She giggles. I grab herhand and pull her to the balcony "Ellissa?" I say moving a strand of hair out of her face. "I don't want you to sell your self anymore, I want you to stay with me, You see I've kind developed a crush on you."I say smirking. She looks a bit uncomfortable.

Ellissa's POV: I feel a bit awkward, noone's ever had a crush on me, but I smile a bit. "May I kiss you" He asks politely, I nod and he gently presses his lips again mine and leans his forehead on mine. He wraps his hands around my waist. I smile into the kiss "So this is what love feels likes?" I ask, he says "Mmm,hmm" Into my lips causing me to laugh.

 _'It's too cold outside for Angels to fly'_


	85. Chapter 85

_Depression (noun) - Severe despondency and dejection, accompanied by feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy._

Some days were worse than others.

Some days he was happy, well as happy as one can be while still feeling empty and alone, and why shouldn't he be happy? He has a loving family, friends who have stuck with him through thick and thin, and last, but certainly not least, he has Zayn; gorgeous, caring, lovingsupportive Zayn. He couldn't for some reason figure out why Zayn was even in love with someone like him in the first place. He was just weird, quiet, depressed Liam.

Some days though, some days were down right awful. On those days he wouldn't talk to anyone. He would just sit in his room with the music as loud as it could go. Trying as hard has he could to fight off the voices telling him hewasn't good enough, wasn't funny enough, cute enough, smart enough. The voices that constantly no matter what he did would not go away, and he'd done a lot.

On those days, Liam's parents would sit in the living room, knowing they couldn't do anything to pull him out of the dark place he was in, but hoping and praying their son would be okay. The doctor told them it would be a long road, but they just had to keep moving forward the best they could.

Those were also the days when Zayn would come straight from school to Liam's house; murmuring a faint "Hello" to Liam's parents while making his way up the stairs to Liam's room. Taking only a moment to kick his shoes off by the door and dropping his backpack to the ground. He then crawls into his boyfriends bed and wraps him in his arms. He plants small kisses on the back of Liam's neck and whispers 'I love you's' and 'you're perfect's in his skin over and over hoping one day they would sink in.

Sometimes, when Liam is having a bad day and he's struggling to keep from going under, he thinks about before he started seeing Mrs. Griffith and before he met Zayn. Thinks about how bad things were, and about the reminders he has left covering his thighs. He thinks about how even if it's only slight he's made improvement, and he'll make it through this too.

But there are some days that it's so dark he can't see anything but the weird looks people throw his way, and hear the whispers of 'freak' and 'faggot' that follow him.

On those days, Liam hustles through school eyes to the ground; staying focused on the time constantly watching and waiting until he can finally escape that prison. But the real prison was actually in his mind, and that was something he could never seem to escape no matter how hard he tried. He would walk home with his head down, hood up, and earphones in blasting his iPod on shuffle. Trying to block out the echoes of the negative comments, thoughts, and all the things Liam found it difficult not to believe about himself.

Liam knew Zayn was always serious about the things he said. He just couldn't figure out why Zayn couldn't see what everyone else saw. Why he was wasting his time and strength trying to help a lost cause?

Zayn knew the truth though, and he hoped and prayed everyday that day would be the day. The day Liam would finally realized how beautiful and truly wonderful he was. How his smile could light up a room, if only he would show that smile a little more. How lost Zayn would actually be without him. How truly dark the world would become if Liam decided he no longer needed to exist.

It's hard loving someone so much, and seeing that they hate their self even more. Zayn remembers all the times he helped clean Liam up after a really bad day. Days he would never take back because he was the one there to help Liam. He wanted to help Liam in anyway he could and those were the days he has fallen the hardest. He was glad Liam trusted him enough to allow him in. Although, all those times, he also cried for the beautiful boy who didn't believe anything was wonderful about himself.

Liam didn't know Zayn cried. He thought Zayn was as tough as they come. Zayn was his shelter. Shelters don't have weak points... Do they?

This shelter does. Zayn tried his hardest to never show his weakness in front of Liam. He has to be strong for Liam's sake, because if he was to break in front of Liam? He doesn't even want to think about how Liam would react.

He wants to think that Liam would be okay and wouldn't do anything. Hoping for the best, but expecting the worst, right? He doesn't want Liam to see him break down and think it is his fault somehow. Zayn cries because he cares about Liam with his whole heart. He doesn't like seeing Liam hurting so much like he does, and he tries all that he can to help Liam. It just seems like nothing works, but he will never give up on Liam. He loves him so he will do everything he can to help him get through this. No matter how hard it gets or how long it takes. He will always be there for Liam. To comfort, protect and care for him in any and every way that he can.

It had been a bad week. Liam was on his bed, knees pulled up to his chest. Normally, Zayn would be right next to him, but tonight Liam won't allow Zayn near him.

"Babe, you need to talk to me. I can't help if I don't know what's wrong." Zayn said moving to sit on the edge of Liam's bed.

Liam looked up, tears running down his face. "I just don't understand", he choked out, "why are you here? You could have anyone you want and you're wasting your time with me." Finally voicing the thoughts that had been haunting him for weeks. "I'm broken Zayn, beyond repair. I'm not good enough for you, for anyone. You'd be better off to just leave and not look back", he finished.

Zayn stood up, and Liam thought he had finally had enough, but suddenly he was right in front of him tilting his face up to look right in his eyes.

"Liam, I am not leaving you. I don't care how many times you tell me you're not worth it. I can't stand to see you looking so upset. It tears me apart knowing that no matter what i do, you'll never believe me when i say you're the most beautiful boy in the world."Zayn wiped the tears off Liam's face, "I don't care if you're broken, everyone has a few broken parts, you're perfect for me and I love you more and more each day, okay?"

Liam gave a slight nod before reaching out and pulling Zayn too him, needing his shelter around him "I love you too. I'm sorry. I'm trying, I swear, it's just hard."

Zayn wrapped his arms around him, pulling him in as close as possible, "I know babe, and ill be here every step along the way."


	86. Chapter 86

He had a plan; don't stand out, don't talk back and he would make it though the year without any trouble. That's the trouble with high school though, nothingever goes the way you plan.

Walking into his new school, Zayn already new his plan wouldn't work out. It was small, and by small he meantsmall, it was at least half the size of his old school and it was in a small town. One of those towns where everyone knew everyone and everything that went on. Where you were friends with the same people from the time you're old enough to walk. So step one in his plan,don't stand out, was completely useless. All eyes were on him from the time he got out of his truck and they hadn't left him as he made his way to the front office to collect his schedule.

"You must be Zayn Malik, our newest addition to the Bobcat family!" Said the older woman, "My name's Mrs. Jarnigan, but you can call me Robin. I've got your welcome packet around here somewhere" she continued as she started going through piles of paperwork on her desk "Ah, here we go Zayn! This has your locker number, class schedule and handbook in it. Now you best hurry off before the bell rings; don't wanna be late on your first day!"

Zayn mumbled out a 'thanks' and went off in search of his locker.

317\. 317. is it so had to find a damn locker?! After another 10 minutes of searching he finally found it, quickly unlocked it with a code he'd have to memorise later and grabbed his schedule and placed his welcome pack in the empty space. Glancing at the schedule he saw he had English first block, thanking the heavens for starting his day with something he enjoyed he started off only to slam straight in to a body and landed flat on his .

A hand appeared in front of his face along with rushed 'oh god's and 'are you okay?' 'Do you need the nurse?' And even more 'ImSorryImSorryImSorry's. usingthe hand as leverage he pulled himself up and was met with a mop of unruly curls and bright green eyes shinning with concern.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it."

"Sorry 'bout that. I'm Harry" the boy replied. "You must be the new kid! Where ya headed? Need some help? I'll-"

"HARRY! Calm down and give the poor guy a chance to breathe." Cut in a blonde boy.

Zayn just stuttered out a quick 'No, it's fine' and tried to go around the boys but was stopped by the curly headed boy, "Hey, wait, let us help you find your way. As an apology at least?" He said, small smile on his slowly handed over his schedule. "Awesome you've got first block with me and Niall! Lets go!" Zayn assumed 'Niall' was the blonde boy and slowly followed them.

/ / /

By the time lunch rolled around Zayn had been asked everything from where he was from to his favourite colour and he was beyond tired but the boys from this morning, Niall and Harry he kept reminding himself, wanted him to sit with them and meet their other friends and he just couldn't seem to tell the boys no. After getting his lunch which consisted of the flattest hamburger he's ever seen, french fries and an unknown type of fruit in a cup he followed Niall, who had an overflowing tray of food, to a table near the back of the cafeteria where Harry and two other boys were already seated.

"Zayn! Good you're here!" Harry exclaimed

"Oh hello Niall! How are you? Oh I'm fine, didn't miss my friends at all!" Niall quipped before digging into his lunch.

"Awe Niall, you know we love you!" Teased a feathery haired boy as he leaned over to pinch Niall cheek, then held his hand out to Zayn, "I'm Louis! Nice to meet ya!"

Zayn shook his hand with a small smile, "Zayn, nice to meet you too."

"This is Liam" Louis points to the boys next to him. Zayn is greeted with big brown eyes, a shy smile and a quiet "Hello Zayn."

"Well now that we all know each other, Zayn are ya gonna eat that burger?" Niall asked, already grabbing the burger off the plate.

/ / /

A week later Zayn realised that the group of boys were going to befriend him no matter how hard he tried to ignore them, and he had tried. They were an odd group but they fit together wonderfully each had a strength for another's weakness. Harry was outgoing but knew when to hold back, Niall was all loud laughs and happy-go-lucky attitude,Louis always had sassy, sarcastic remark ready for anything that was said and Liam was the soft voice of reason (with a little bit of sarcasm when he had been around Lou for too long). And Zayn, well Zayn's not sure where he fits or if there's really even room for him but the other boys seem to think he does and that's enough for now.

/ / /

They're all hanging out on the steps to school when the question Zayn's been hoping and praying and wishing would never come up is asked. It's been almost three months so people have finally stopped staring at Zayn and he's started opening up and being himself with the boys, but this is something he's not shared yet. He's afraid how they'll react, if they'll look at him different like his friends from his old school, treat him like he's changed when really he's still the exact same person as before the words slipped out. Louis' the one to bring it up because of course he his, the nosy little fucker he is,

"So, Zayn, got your eyes on anyone yet?"

And Zayn's sure he's turned a shade of red that no one can miss because yeah, there's this boy with puppy dog eyes, and a shy smile sitting just to his left who caught his eye and hasn't let it go since that day at the lunch table but he can very well say that and oh god he didn't want to go through this so soon.

"Yeah, any girl got your attention yet? God knows they're all trying." Niall added and Zayn blushed a little harder ducking his head and clearing his throat, "uh, no, no girls got my attention. I-uh. Well. Um. Shit" he stuttered.

Liam leaned over then, rubbing a comforting hand over his back, "You okay?" He whispers, like its just them, and wow that is so not helping.

"Yeah, um, I just don't want you guys to hate me" Zayn's voice getting smaller towards the end of his sentence. And there are shout from all four boys around him of 'we could never hate you' and 'don't be daft Zayn'. "It's just that last time I told someone they didn't handle bit well and I had to move schools." All the other boys were looking at him with confused looks except Harry who had a sort of knowing look on his face so Zayn just spit it out, "I don't like girls, that's why one hasn't 'caught my eye'." And suddenly he was surrounded and pulled into a group hug.

"Oh Zaynie," said a voice he knew to be Louis', "anyboyscaught you eve then?"

And then they were all laughing because he was turning a colour red that would have given the best tomato a run for its money and hiding his face in Niall's shoulder, refusing to answer.

/ / /

It wasn't that bad, he swears, only a few names he won't repeat.

Then it was just a few taps from shoulders or slight jabs from elbows added in. It was nothing to worry about. That's what he told the boys when they saw the light bruises scattered along his shoulder and abdomen while he was changing, a dumb mistake on his part. 'Some dumb jocks must've overheard our chat the other day and wanted to prove they were cool to their friends. It's fine. I'm okay' he tells them quickly. But when he's laying in bed at night he knows its not fine, he's not okay. He traces a finger over his thigh, feels the raised skin and the slight burn from irritating the fresh cuts. He knows he should have but he need to release it Allan's it had been months since the last time and he wascravingit. Cool razor against warm skin, how it took all the pain from his heart and made it real. It was only a couple cuts, nothing like before. He promised himself he wouldn't do it again.

Liam would ask him everyday how he was holding up, if people were still saying thing, doing thing and Zayn would always say the same thing, "it's fine, I'm okay." And every night Zayn would promise himself that this was the last time.

/ / /

Shoulder pushes soon turn to shoves and words get harsher and he's not sure what hurts more, being slammed into lockers or lying to Liam.

He doesn't make promises anymore.

/ / /

He thought if he just ignored them maybe the would stop and some had, most of them had actually, except for one footballer named Tom who seemed to really hate him.

He was on his way to meet the guys for lunch when he ran into Tom.

"Watch where you're going,fag."Tom spat out, holding him against the lockers, "No one wants you here so why don't you just do us all a favour and leave." And with the last of his sentence Tom punched him straight in the gut and was going for another when he heard a loud "HEY!" And all of a sudden he was off Zayn and being pushed away by a very pissed off looking Liam, "Who do you think you are telling him he's not wanted, when he's plenty wanted! What'd he do to you?!"

"He's gay! He doesn't belong here!"

"He belongs here more than you do!" Liam yelled swinging out and hitting him square in the jaw, hissing out, "touch him again and see what happens." Before turning to Zayn, who looked like he was in a state of shock. "Hey" he said quieter, " you okay to walk?"

Zayn answered with a nod and Liam wrapped an arm around his back placing Zayn's over his shoulder saying "Okay let's get out of here before a teacher finds us" leading them to Zayn's truck. He put Zayn in the passenger seat and hopped in and drove them to Zayn's house.

"You go on up to your room and ill get ointment... Which is...?"

"Main bathroom, second drawer down" Zayn replied, hobbling up the stairs.

It took Liam a few minutes but he got everything he needed and when he got to Zayn's bedroom all the air was jerked from his body and he dropped everything in his hands. Slowly walking towards Zayn, who was clad in only tight boxers and a horrified look on his face and suddenly he realised what was happening, reaching to cover his thighs but only ended up wincing in pain. "Liam, please-" he choked out trying to hold back tears.

"Oh Zayn. What have they done to you love." Liam said, stopping right in front of Zayn, running his thumb over his cheek to dry his tears, "why Zayn? Don't you see how beautiful you are?"Dropping to his knees Liam placed soft kisses to every scar and around every cut on his thigh. Zayn's sure this should have seemed a little sexual but it really just made his tears thicker, more frequent. Liam stood up then, led them to sit on the bed and all Zayn could manage through the tears was "I'm sorry, so sorry" over and over again, burying his face in Liam's neck. Liam held him close, a soothing hand on his back and comforting whispers in his ear.

"Hey, come on, talk to me. Tell me what's happened." He whispered, placing a light kiss on Zayn's hair.

And that's all it took, like flood gates being opened, he spilled it all out. The pushes, the names, every unkept promise. Everything. "I wanted to stop, I swear I did, but it made me feel okay again. Made their words disappear. I could breathe again." Zayn finally looked up and saw the unreadable on Liam's face, "I'm not crazy Li. I'm not. I just. It helps me breathe."

"I know you're not, I know" Liam slowly pulled him close enough to press their foreheads together and he just stated there holding Zayn's face gently, "you're okay now. They won't hurt you anymore and then you won't need help breathing, and if you do I'm here. I'm always here."

Zayn closed his eye, breathing Liam in, "Why are you go amazing?" He closed the small gap between between the with a gentle peck to Liam's lips before his eyes shot open and he was off the bed, "Oh god! I'm so sorry! That was so dumb. I just-"suddenly cut off by a pair of lips covering his own, he realised Liam was kissing was kissing him!Sliding his arms around Liam's neck he finally began kissing back only to have Liam pull away, bringing his hand up to hold Zayn's jaw. "I've wanted to do that for months" he breathed. "You're the amazing one. I swear your eyes can see straight into my soul and even your smallest smile can brighten my entire day. I've got this crazy, little school girl crush on you and I don't think it's gonna go away."

Zayn chuckled, "That's the cheesiest, yet sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me."Biting his lip as a blush covered his face he cleared his throat, "Um. I've, uh, had a crush on you since we met that day in the lunchroom."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Shy smiles covering both their faces as they leaned together for another kiss. And yeah, kissing Liam could be his new favourite hobby.

"Is it too soon to ask you to be my boyfriend?" Liam asked, only pulling back so their lips were just out of reach.

Zayn surged forward stealing a kiss, "No, not too soon, never too soon. I would love to be your boyfriend", with that he planted his lips back on Liam's.

/ / /

Walking into school the next day he wasn't sure what to feel. The other boys had been informed of what had happened and as soon as they saw Zayn they were crowding him into a tight group hug full of "don't worry" s and "we're so sorry" s and one "guys I can't breathe!" They all stepped away, except for Liam who slid his hand down and intertwined their fingers. They shared shy smiles as the other boys cooed at them. And even though he didn't follow his plan he thinks that maybe with Liam by his side he can make it through anything.


	87. Chapter 87

Niall has always had a fear of thunder, for as long as he can remember the loud cracking sound has sent him into his mum and dad or brothers rooms hoping a cuddle would keep him calm. So it's really not his fault that he ends up standing at the foot of Liam's bed at some unknown hour of the morning.

"Li? Are you awake?" Niall asked, poking at Liam's feet until he turned over to see Niall in an oversized sweater (most likely Harry's) with his blue eyes wide and scared.

"Niall?" He said, voice rough from not being used, "what's going on? Are you okay?" Liam sat up, pulling his duvet down and motioning for Niall to join him. Niall immediately crawled his way up the bed and curled into Liam's side. Fingers clenching and unclenching his fingers in the too long arms or his sweater. "You gonna tell me what's wrong?" Liam asked him as he covered them up.

"I, um, it's embarrassing" burying his face in Liam's chest he murmured, "I'm afraid of thunder"

"Niall,you know you can tell me anything." And just as he finished speaking a loud clap rang through the room causing Niall to let out a squeak and cuddle further into Liam's side.

"I'm afraid of thunder. It just freaks me out." He said a little louder this time so he could be heard.

Liam wrapped his arms around Niall and brought a hand up to run through his hair, "Hey, it's okay to be afraid of things. We can do something to keep your mind off of it, what do you wanna do?"

"Can we just keep cuddling? That always helps" he says, a small blush rising in his cheeks

"Of course" Liam said, wrapping his arm tighter around the blonde boy and dropping a kiss to his head, "Anything for you Nialler."

Niall fell asleep in Liam's arms; a small smile on his face. Because as scared as he was of thunder, Liam made him feel safe. Like nothing could ever hurt him as long as Liam's strong arms were around him. Before slipping into a peaceful sleep, Niall thought of how he could get use to this; falling asleep with Liam. Liam was his guardian, his superman, his safe haven.


	88. Chapter 88

Zayn hates the water, he never learned to swim and it just freaks him out, but he loves Liam.

Liam knows he's won when he puts on his best puppy dog eyes and Zayn sighs out a 'I'm not getting in the pool Li'. He lets out a shout of excitement and gives Zayn a quick peck on the lips, "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're amazing, I swear we'll spend all day tomorrow at the skate park!" It was just such a perfect day for a swim. The sun was bright and there was a slight breeze and it was just perfect!

So Liam changes into his swimming trunks while Zayn grabs his book of the day and then they're off to the community pool.

Zayn made it half way though his book before Liam started pestering him about coming closer to the pool, "you don't have to get in love, just sit in the edge. You can hang your feet in, it'll be fine"

"Liam I told you before we left! I am not getting in the pool!"

"But it's just your feet!"

"It always starts with my feet, then it's 'I'll carry you to the shallow end', 'it'll just come up to your waist', no Liam I'm not falling for it this time." Zayn sat his book down to look at Liam, which was really the worst possible decision because there he was, arms folded on the side of the pool with the biggest puppy eyes he'd ever seen and fuck. "Ugh, fine but I'm just sitting on the side, that's as far as this is going!" But the smile on Liam's face was worth it all.

As Zayn was sitting down Liam pulled himself out of the pool and settled beside him. "You're the best" he said leaning over to press a kiss to Zayn's cheek.

"I know" Zayn replied, small smile on his lips because really how did he get so lucky? Athletic, gorgeous, Greek god Liam was in love with him, not so athletic (unless you count skateboarding), book lover Zayn. "Wanna go to Mel's for lunch? I'm feelin a milkshake." He asked starting to stand but his his foot slipped and he fell into the pool letting out a startled gasp and swallowing a mouthful of water.

Liam froze for a moment before his instincts took over and he was jumping into the water and grabbing Zayn, bring them back to the top. Zayn gasped for air, his lungs aching, and his limbs wrapping tightly around Liam who was keeping them afloat.

"Shhh, babe, it's okay. You're safe now, I've got ya." Liam whispered, running a soothing hand up and down his shaking boyfriends back. "It's okay, love. I'm not letting you go, I promise." To which Zayn let out a small whimper.  
"Hey, look at me. I'm right here, I've got you." He said, bringing a hand up to turn Zayn's face to his. Looking into his eyes he saw the terror still running through them and a few tears escaped when he blinked. Swiping them away with his thumb, Liam cradled his cheek in his hand and Zayn leaned into the comforting touch, "I'm right here, I've got you" he repeated, slowing closing the space between them and placing a soft reassuring kiss on his lips. As Liam started to pull away Zayn pushed forward, following his lips and deepening the kiss slightly. After a minute Zayn pulled away and rested their foreheads together "Thank you."


	89. Chapter 89

_Jess's P.O.V_

I opened my eyes a little, partial to the bright sun shining in my room. I rubbed my eyes, makeup smudging over my hands and face. I walked over to the giant window and pulled the shades, revealing the beach. I scanned the area and didn't find anyone too intriguing, so I decided to shower. I emerged again, my hair up in a towel and one wrapped around my body. I plugged my iPod in the dock and blasted my favourite songs, dancing around the room as I got dressed.

 _Liam's P.O.V_

As I was wading in the water towards the shore, I glanced up to the house in front of me. Whoever lived there had opened the shades, revealing the inside of their room. I kept looking for a little longer until I saw a girl jumping around inside. She was only wearing a towel. She stopped dancing for a second to let her hair down. Long brown hair fell from the towel, cascading down her back and over the towel. She continued dancing around while picking out clothes. She walked out of view for a second and came back wearing shorts and a bra. She walked over to her bed and picked up a tank top that she laid out and slipped it on over her head. She combed out her hair and flipped it a few times, letting it dry a bit. She glanced out the window and mouthed "Shit." She had just realized that she got dressed in front of the whole beach. She got up and walked out of the room. A minute or so later she came down and sat on her porch, pulling out a book.

"You do know that everyone can see in your room, right?" I yelled to her.

She looked up, "You were looking,"

"No, I glanced and saw you, so I watched to make sure you didn't do anything stupid,"

"Sure…" She trailed off, looking back to her book.

"Do you mind if I join you?" I stood up and started walking towards her porch.

 _Jess's P.O.V_

I closed my book and looked up at the gorgeous boy. I tried my best to seem uninterested, "I don't usually like having strange men on my porch." He stopped in his tracks, his mouth hanging open. I laughed at the puppy dog face he made.

"I'm not that strange now am I?" He pulled the zipper down the back of his wetsuit and pulled it down to his waist, revealing his unbelievably toned body. I zoned out for a second, completely caught off guard. "Should I… put it back on?" He said unsurely, breaking my trance.

"Oh, um… no. It's fine," I shook my head, trying to gain concentration. "Now, may I ask, are you a model?"

"No," he laughed as he sat down next to me on the love seat. "I'm a singer,"

"Oh, right. I should have guessed!" I rolled my eyes at the thought. He's probably some stuck up rich boy who _thinks_ he's a singer. "What's your name?"

"Liam,"

"I'm Jess. So _Liam_ , are you in a band, or do you just do solo stuff?"

"I'm in a band. One Direction?" He gazed into my eyes, looking for a hint of acknowledgement.

 _Liam's P.O.V_

Her eyes were beautiful. A beautiful blue which set off her face perfectly. "No clue," She laughed.

"That's fine," I didn't know what else to say. "Do you live by yourself here?"

"Yeah, my parents bought it for me pretty much too just get me out of the house."

"A beautiful girl like you, living alone, on a beach. Isn't it kinda scary sometimes? A lot of messed up people come to places like this."

She slowly nodded, "I've learned to always lock the doors," she said quietly.

I rested my elbows on my knees, clasped my hands together and looked up at her, "Not everyone that comes here is crazy, though," I smiled.

"Mmmm, mostly everyone," She smiled back. I grabbed her hand and pulling her up of the chair, ran with her down to the shore. "Liam! What are you doing?" She screamed at me, almost tripping over a few people lying out.

"We're going down to the water,"

"But I'm not wearing my suit!"

"I know you're not," I laughed. She tried pushing my chest in response, but I had a firm grip on her waist. I stared into her eyes as the water crashed around our feet. I brought one hand up to stroke the smooth skin on her cheek, wrapping my other fingers around her neck, pulling her close. I felt the soft fabric of her shirt on my chest as she stepped closer to me. Her hands slowly snaked up my chest to my neck as I leaned down to close the gap between us. Her lips were soft on mine, the rhythm of our kisses matching that of the waves, slow, yet deep and even. As the waves slowed down, so did our kisses. She pulled away about an inch, resting our foreheads together.

"You know, if I ever need anyone to keep me safe, here, I think I'll have to call you," She laughed, kissing me once more.


	90. Chapter 90

"I-I don't know what to say?"  
It was 7pm and I had opened the door to the most gorgeous boy in the world standing in front of me holding a huge bouquet of flowers.  
"Don't say anything, I told you I was going to make this first date a good one. I've put this off for too long now." Zayn had always been the one that I wanted, but we'd only recently decided to step our friendship up a notch, it had happened at my dad's wedding (of all places) we had just found ourselves kissing behind the wedding cake while my family danced around drunkenly. Getting it on with Zayn Malik, now that's a way to lighten up a dull family wedding I tell you.  
He was older than me, not by too much, but older than me, and best friends with my brother Niall. All of these things complicated the situation but it wasn't going to stop me.

He'd obviously gone all out tonight as he stood there at my door wearing an expensive looking blazer and shoes. Along with a white top and dark jeans he looked incredible, he'd told me nothing apart from that I should dress nice and that he was going to surprise me and make tonight worth agreeing that I would go on a date with him. I'd put loose curls into my hair and was wearing my favourite dress that hugged my figure. I couldn't wait! Of course, I hadn't told him that, hence why he was making such a big effort. Being the cool cat that I am, I'd decided to make him think that it would be hard for him to get me. I'd said I'd been drunk at the wedding and he needed to impress me somehow, and I was so glad I'd decided to play it that way now.  
He handed me the flowers as I took them and placed them on the side.  
"Aww that's sweet Zayn thank you." I gave him my sweetest smile and he smiled back at me. It made me weak at the knees but I wasn't going to let it show, I wanted him to think I was in control.  
"Wow Rachel, you look stunning." He looked me up and down with a cheeky smile on his face as I stepped out of the door closing it behind me. I could feel myself blushing so tried to hide my face, it didn't work, he cupped my chin in his hand and tilted it up towards him. He kissed me once on the lips and then moved away leaving me wanting more, this boy really did know what he was doing when it came to girls.

Taking my hand he started walking towards the car parked at the end of my drive. It had blacked out windows and looked a _lot_ more posh than the old thing my mum owned.  
"Zayn, where are we going?"  
"Oh you'll see." He turned and winked at me as he opened the car door for me to get in. I had literally no idea where we were going to be going. Zayn was still a mystery to me so figuring out what was going on inside his head was near enough impossible.  
The car ride to wherever we were going was peaceful, mainly because I'd found myself typically nervous as I usually was around him, I looked straight ahead but could feel his eyes burning into me and when he thought I wouldn't notice I felt them travel down to my chest and then my thighs.  
He broke the silence, "Look, Rachel, if you don't like me, just say?"  
Shit, I'd played it too cool, he'd got the wrong idea.  
"No Zayn, I do… I do like you, I was just… I dunno, I was being stupid, I really like you I do." I spoke in a fluster, desperate to let him know that he wasn't wasting his time.  
His smile grew wider as he let out a laugh "I know you do, I just wanted to make you say it out loud, loser!"  
I sat in shock, in disbelief at how he'd managed to get that out of me so easily. God he was good, I was left speechless as the journey carried on, I soon relaxed and we started talking again just like we used to, when we were just friends. I knew he liked me, and he knew I liked him, simple. I was so excited for our date.  
About half an hour later the car stopped, I got out of the car to see where we were and saw we were next to a field, a plain old field, didn't look like there was anything around for miles either and Zayn walked slightly in front of me leading the way across the grass.  
"Zayn, the car?"  
"It's okay, I've told the driver I'll call when we're ready." It was all a bit weird for my liking, why was he taking me to a random field for our first date? But then I saw it, a blanket laid out on the ground with a basket next to it.

Zayn went and sat down on it beckoning me over, "Aww Zayn, It's so flipping cheesy… but I love it." He pulled me down on top of him and I found myself perched on his lap. He leant over and took food out of the basket along with various other goodies.  
I leant down and pecked his lips, "It's a good idea Zayn, but why this?"  
"Well I wanted to be alone, and I dunno, I just thought it'd be nice."  
"Well it is, it's lovely, thank you." I felt so happy that he'd done this for me, in all honesty I'd expected him to have just booked cinema tickets or a table at a restaurant, but he'd really put some effort in.  
We ate the food and drank, talked, laughed, flirted, joked and then just sat back watching the night sky, Zayn was sat cross legged and I was lying back onto him, it was clear tonight but it was still a bit nippy and I was starting to regret not wearing anything but my dress as I began to shiver slightly.  
Without saying a word Zayn took his blazer off and put it round my shoulders shielding me from the cool air. He was being such a gent tonight, I couldn't quite get my head around it, no one had ever treated me this way.  
"It's getting late Rachel, and I'd love to stay here with you all night _believe_ me I would, but if I don't get you back soon your parents and Niall will never let me take you out again"  
"Yeah okay" I sighed, I really didn't want to go, because once a day is over, you can never get it back.

Zayn called the driver back and within minutes he was here, he must have been waiting round the corner. We got back in the car and I wished the journey would last forever.  
I leant my head on his shoulder and stayed there as he kissed the top of my head soothingly. When we arrived back at my house I really, really didn't want to leave the car.  
He opened the car door for me and we walked back up the driveway, I was feeling so glum as we approached the door and I didn't want to look him in the eye so I chose to stare at my feet instead.  
"Zayn, tonight was lovely, thank you for everything." I smiled at him through my disappointment of having to leave him as I unlocked the door hesitantly.  
"You know, if you were my girlfriend we could have nights like this basically all the time" he used his hands to raise my chin up to look at him directly in the eye.  
"What are you saying?"  
"I'm saying, I want you to be my girlfriend, properly. Now."  
He said it with such conviction, and with such a sincere look in his enchanting eyes that it left me dumbfounded. The excitement in my belly rose as I realised what he was proposing. He looked so good in that moment and I wanted nothing more but for him to pin me up against the wall and kiss me until I couldn't breathe.  
But through my excitement, I took a deep breath in, one out and spoke just one word.  
"Yes" smiling at him I put one hand on each of his cheeks and tiptoed up to kiss him, he kissed me back and then reached down and picked me up in his arms like a bride.  
His cheeky smile made my insides flutter as he carried me giggling through my doorway and placing me softly down onto my sofa. Kneeling down besides me and kissing me once again he rested his forehead against mine our lips only centimetres apart as he uttered the words "Thank you" as he turned and walked away for the night.  
I lay on the sofa watching him walk away and thought to myself.  
There he goes, Zayn Malik. My wonderful boyfriend. 


	91. Chapter 91

My brother and his band were finally coming to New York, and I couldn't wait to see him. Granted, he was really only coming to perform on Good Morning America while on tour, but I didn't care, I was going to see him for a few days regardless.

I ran out of my apartment, throwing goodbyes at my roommates, Chloe and Madison. I had decided to skip school today to go meet my brother and his mates at the airport. I hailed a taxi; one pulled over almost immediately, and ordered him to the airport. The drive was excruciatingly slow, but I was able to occupy myself with the sights of New York, sites I never ever got used to, even after two years living here.

I handed the taxi driver some money and a thank you before bursting out of the cab and running inside of the airport. I had no clue which gate my brother would be arriving at, he told me he would text me, but that text has yet to come. I looked around the airport hopelessly when my phone buzzed.

 _Gate 19. Can't wait to see you xx_

I smiled. Gate 19, that's not too far from the entrance. I took off to the right, where Gate 19 would be, where my brother would be.

Notlong after I took off into my sprint, I was able to spot a head of curly brown hair, similar to my own, but lighter than mine.

"Harry!" I yelled, waving my hand to catch his attention.

Harry slowly turned around and grinned at me, a grin I returned. I jumped into his arms as soon as I reached him, and he caught me, spinning me around to stable himself.

"Hey, Danny… sis." He whispered.

I released my arms from around his neck and looked at all of the boys, my eyes landing on Niall. It's been a few months since I last saw all the boys, but Niall was still the same - beautiful as hell. His blue eyes shined with the happiness displayed in his gorgeous smile. He had his hands shoved in his pockets, but was pulling one out, and he weaved it through his marvellous blonde hair that seemed to absorb the sunlight. Needless to say, I had a huge crush on Niall. He always had a strange effect on me, got me feeling things I never felt with anyone else.

"H-hey boys," I stuttered, coming out of my thoughts. "How are you all?"

"I'm doing great, can't wait for you to show us around." Louis grinned as he wrapped an arm around my neck. Louis was like another brother to me.

"I'm doing wonderful now." Niall whispered, staring straight into my light brown eyes with his lustful blue ones.

I gave him a look of confusion, but before I could ask him what all he meant by it, I was being dragged towards the entrance of the airport by Louis and Harry, who had their arms wound around the back of my neck, pulling me along.

"We're staying at your place, right, Sis?" Harry asked.

I grinned. "Oh sure." The girls will get a real kick out of this.

The boys have been here for two days, so naturally the whole apartment has been destroyed; as much fun as we've all had, I'm going to have to murder them if they don't clean it up.

Everyone was out doing sightseeing or shopping. Only Niall was home - doing God knows what. I myself was on my way home from babysitting as a favour for a woman on the bottom floor of the apartment complex.

I trudged up the stairs slowly, completely exhausted from watching an all too energetic three year old and an eight month old baby. I pulled my keys out of my pocket before I reached the door, and fumbled for the key to the apartment.

I dropped the keychain. "Shoot." I hissed. I bent down and picked up the keys.

I unlocked the door, and pushed it open, revealing small white flowers all over the floor in some sort of trail. I recognized them immediately, they were my favourite flower; waterfall flowers. I slowly set my keys down on the counter, not able to take my eyes off of the sight before me. Did Niall do this all? And why?

"Niall?" I called. Nothing. "Niall, are you here?" But there was still no answer.

I slowly crept through the apartment, weaving my way through the trail of flowers. They led all the way to my room. I picked up my pace, reaching my slightly ajar door in only a few strides.

I pushed the door open. "Niall?"

Niall was sitting on my bed, a flower in his hand, a sweet, loving smile on his face. He had lit small candles and placed them all over the room. It was just dark enough outside that it created a romantic glow all over the room. I grinned.

"Niall, what is all this?" I whispered softly.

Niall looked up, where he had been previously enveloped in the flower he fingered, and stood up from the bed. He made his way over to me, the flower at his side, and held it up to my face.

"I wanted to ask you something." He said slowly.

I held back a massive grin, hoping he would ask me what I wanted him to ask me.

"Yes…" I pushed.

He let out a sigh, his minty sweet breath hitting my face. "Would you… be mine?"

I bit my lip. "Of course." I whispered. I went to take the flower from his hand, but before I could take it, he pulled it away, and crushed his lips to mine.

I wound my arms around his neck, pulling him closer, and he wrapped his arms around my waist. The kiss was everything I had ever imagined it to be, Niall's lips being soft, sweet, and minty. His lips moulded to mine perfectly, and it only left me wanting more from the kiss.

But Niall pulled away, and took my hand in his. He placed the stem of the flower in my hand, letting the petals hang over, and closed my fingers around the stem as he placed his forehead to mine.


	92. Chapter 92

"Oh my god, Lou! Thank you so much for coming!" I squealed happily. Louis wrapped his arms around me, pulling me in for a quick hug. "Are you kidding, I wouldn't miss this for anything!" "Well it's just you're so busy, but honestly it means so much to me." I said as I pulled back from our embrace. Lou took a step back and shrugged his shoulders slightly.  
"I hope you don't mind but the rest of the lads wanted to tag along." Louis nodded his head over in the direction of the boys. I peered around him and there was Liam, Niall, Harry and Zayn. I groaned and pursed my lips. "Lou…" I whined. "I'm nervous enough about this gig as is, and now I have to worry about NOT making a fool of myself in front of One Direction!" I threw my hands in the air exaggeratedly and pouted. Louis took my hand into his. "You'll do fine, I've heard you sing a million times, you're gonna kick ass!" He exclaimed excitedly. I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Seriously, Bianca. You've got an amazing band, solid vocals and you're easy on the eyes. What's not to love?!"  
I couldn't help but smile, Louis always knew the right things to say, no matter the situation.  
"Five minutes to set!" The stage manager shouted. My eyes widened and my hands began to shake. "You're gonna be fine, love." Lou said as he pressed a kiss to my cheek. "Now get out there and rock this club!" I nodded. Louis turned to join the rest of the boys in the crowd and I went to go join the rest of my band.  
"Ladies and gentlemen." Boomed a voice through the speaker. "We are happy to present to you here tonight at the Lodge pub, 649! Make some noise!" The navy curtain pulled back to reveal a crowd of cheering people. I took a deep breath and stepped up to the microphone. "How's everyone doing tonight?!" The crowd cheered in response. "Good, good. What'd ya say we get this show started?!" The crowd cheered again. "Take it away, Kai!" and with that, Kai started to play the opening of 'Valerie.'

We played an hour long set of original songs, covers and crowd requests. I was sitting on a piano bench, microphone inches away from my face. "Well this is the last song of the evening." I said. "And personally it's one of my favorites. Thank you guys for being such an amazing crowd. I hope you enjoy."  
I took a deep breath to settle myself before playing a piano arrangement of 'Teenage Dream' by Katy Perry. Right before I was about to sing I could hear "We love you, Bianca!" shouted by familiar voices in the crowd and I couldn't help but chuckle a bit.  
"You think I'm pretty without any make-up on…" My fingers glided smoothly over the keys as I continued to belt the words. "…Let you put your hands on me in my skin tight jeans, be my teenage dream tonight." The last note hung sweetly in the air. The crowd was cheering and applauding. I took my place in front of the mic in center stage. "Thank you so much everyone. We are 649. Good night!"  
The curtain was pulled shut, blocking the white of the stage lights. I stood there somewhat dumbfounded for a moment. "Guys we killed it!" Kai shouted pulling us all in for a group hug. I shook the manager's hand and thanked him for letting us perform. I walked over to where a makeshift table crowded with bottles of water and opened one, taking a long drink. "BIANCA! That was…fantastic!" Lou hollered. I smiled at him warmly. "Thanks boo bear." The rest of the boys were standing slightly behind Louis. Niall took a step forward and handed me a bouquet of roses. "From the lads and I." He said with a wink. "Thank you, boys." I said kindly taking the flowers from Nialls' hands.  
"So, you up to grab a bite with us?" Louis asked. "I have to help clean up, it may be a bit." "No problem, we don't mind waiting." Says Zayn.  
The next half hour was spent thanking people and moving equipment. Louis and the boys waited for my patiently. After thanking the manager and pub owner for the tenth time I strolled over to join the boys. "All ready, my little super star?" Louis asked, slinging his arm over my shoulder. I nodded and the six of us made our way to Harry's car.  
"How are you not famous?!" Liam exclaimed as he slumped beside me. I chuckled and shrugged. "Who knows, maybe someday?"  
After a bite to eat and some drinks with the boys, Liam (the designated driver) dropped me off at my flat. "I'll call you tomorrow or something. We'll go get coffee" Louis shouted out the passenger side window. "Sounds good. I'll see you guys later." The boys shouted their goodbyes as I made my way up the stairs to my flat.

~Three days later~  
I was sprawled across my couch watching a movie when my phone buzzed. It was a text from Louis.  
 _'You busy tonight, babes?"_  
 _'Nope, not at all. Did you want to hang out?'_ I replied  
 _'How about you get dressed up all nice and we go for dinner. A car will pick you up at seven."_ I sighed loudly, 'I'd much rather just stay home in my pajamas' I thought  
 _'I guess so, see you then! '_  
I took notice of the time and it was already half five. I rolled from my spot on the couch and set off to the bathroom to get ready. When I was finished showering and curling my hair it was already twenty to the hour. I quickly applied some light foundation, eyeliner and a few coats of mascara before running to my bedroom to get dressed. I pulled a simple black bodycon dress from my closet and pulled it over my head. I slipped into my leopard print pumps. I sprayed myself with coconut body mist and finally put on the pair of diamond studs Louis got me for Christmas.  
I bounded my way downstairs, it was just seven on the dot and like Lou said, there was a car out front. I grabbed my phone, clutch and keys from their spots on the table and headed outside.  
The driver opened the door for me and I thanked him as I slipped into the back seat.  
"Excuse me sir. Where are we going?" I asked after about twenty minutes. "No worries miss, we're almost there."  
After a few more moments we pulled up in front of an unfamiliar restaurant. I noticed Lou standing by the front entrance. I stepped out of the car and made my way over to him. Lou motioned to me "Well don't you look lovely." I smiled. "Why so do you." Lou guided me into the restaurant with his hand on the small of my back.

We walked to a large table where the rest of the boys (and two men I've never seen before) were sitting. "Hello everyone." I said politely. Louis pulled out my chair before sitting down next to me. No one seemed to introduce me to the two men, which I found odd, but I quickly shook it off. We all sat and chatted over drinks for a bit before ordering our food.  
"So, Bianca. You're probably wondering who these two blokes are, yeah?" Louis asked motioning his hand to the two gentlemen. I nodded. "Well you see, these guys are just a small part of our management and security team." Louis continued. "Hello, Bianca. Lovely to meet you." Said the large black haired man. I smiled shyly. "You as well". I said politely.  
"Well go on mate, tell her!" Niall said excitedly. "Uh, what's going on?" I asked warily. The man with black hair called Paul spoke first. "You performed a gig at the Lodge a few days ago, no?" He asked. I nodded. "Well the boys happened to record some of it and my..." "Oh did they now?" I interjected. "Yes." Paul continued. "My friend Peter here along with the rest of the boys management and I, liked what we saw." Paul took a sip of his drink and so did I not sure of what else to do. "Now, you're a wear that the boys are going on a world tour in about eight months or so, right?" My attention was turned to the other man, Peter. I nodded my head again. Peter reached for something under the table. A moment later he was handing me a large white envelope.  
"What's this?" I asked. I quickly looked at each of the boys' faces, and they seemed to be stifling smiles. "The boys insisted we make you a contract." Peter continued. "For what?" I asked cautiously. "Bloody hell! This is killing me!" Harry exclaimed. "Bianca, we want you to be the opening act for our tour!" Louis said excitedly.  
My jaw dropped, I was gobsmacked. "Well?" Paul asked after a few moments. "Are you guys for real?!" I whispered hoarsely. "Of course we are!" Liam said with a laugh. "So, Bianca. What do ya say?" Louis asked, taking my hand in his. "Yes!" I squealed "Oh my god yes!" The boys applauded and cheered. "Wow, thank you, guys. So, so, so much!" I could feel tears of happiness welling up in my eyes. "You should really be thanking Louis; he's been going mad over the past few days to set this up." Zayn said. I threw my arms around Louis neck and squeezed him tightly. "Thank you, thank you thank you!" I exclaimed. "I can't believe I'm going to be the opening act for One Direction! This is honestly too- just wow." Louis pulled away to stare into my eyes. "You deserve this." He said as he wiped away a few tears.  
I raised my glass of champagne to form a toast. "I'd like to thank each one of you boys, Paul, Peter and most importantly. Louis, my best friend in the whole entire universe." We all clinked our glasses together "Cheers!"

~Four months later~  
Harry laid his head on my shoulder starting to doze off. It was only 5 in the afternoon, but the boys and I had just got back to the tour bus after a busy day of interviews and radio shows. All but Louis. No one knew where he had gone, and I kept getting a bad feeling that something was up with him. Soon the sound of snores filled the room as I checked up on twitter.  
Niall had his head in my lap and was spread out across most of the couch. Harry's head was on my shoulder, his feet on a foot rest in front of us. I looked down at Zayn and Liam, both of them sprawled out on the floor. Half laying on each other, half laying on the floor. I flicked of twitter and sighed. Quietly I removed Harry from laying on my shoulder, to laying on the arm of the couch.  
As I went to move, Niall moved himself from my lap and lay out on the empty part of the couch I had just gotten up from. I stepped over Liam and Zayn, making my way to the stairs near the door. Only being stopped by the door opening, and the sound of Louis' laughter along with someone else's filled the air. I quickly shushed him motioning to the sleeping boys in the living room.  
"Oh sorry Bianca, I didn't realise they were sleeping" Louis said. Pulling on the hand in his, a girl emerged from behind him. "Bianca, this is Avery. Avery this is my best friend Bianca."  
I waved at the girl, she gave a slight smile but tried to look anywhere but at me. Her blonde hair was done in beautiful curls, and it looked like she had bright blue eyes. In some way she looked oddly familiar, like I had seen her somewhere before. That's when it hit me, she looked like a girl version of Niall. "Have I seen you somewhere?" I said. Pointing at her, I gave a glance to Louis. " I feel like I know you, but I could swear I've never met you."  
"Actually, you haven't met me before. You do know my brother though, Niall. Who seems to have forgotten I was visiting today and fallen asleep." Avery sent a smile towards Niall's sleeping figure.

I stood outside in the rain, my hood up and barefoot. Not that I minded at all, I had always loved playing in the rain. The boys thought it was weird, but Louis always told me that it reminds him that I've always been a kid at heart. Like him. The cold raindrops hit my face as I looked up at the sky, my hood fell down and pretty soon my hair was soaked.  
"You look so peaceful when you stand in the rain." I jumped at the sound of Louis' voice. Turning round, I saw him standing not far behind, his hood up. I turned back around, sticking my hands out and letting the rain drop into them. "When I stand in the rain, it helps me think. Like everything's calm and peaceful, almost as if nothing can go wrong. The only sound coming from the drops splashing everywhere, it keeps me calm." I spoke gently. The sound of footsteps splashing through puddles filled the air, and soon enough Louis was stood next to me. Gently he grabbed my hand and turned me to face him. I looked up into his beautiful blue eyes, getting lost in them. As the rain continued to pour down, Louis leaned in. His lips soon meeting mine, after years of wishing and dreaming of this, it was finally happening.  
After a little while, we pulled away to regain our breath. "You don't know how long I've been wanting to do that Bianca." Louis smiled at me. "You don't know how long I've been wanting you to do that" I replied.  
He crashed his lips into mine again, the rain sliding off our faces and into the kiss. My first kiss with Louis, in the rain. Every girl dreamed of a kiss in the rain and I was finally getting mine. There was no need to ask to be each others. I could we both already knew the answer. Yes. 


	93. Chapter 93

I was laying on my back in the grass, soaking up the sun and the quiet. I knew no one would find me here; that's why I loved it so much. I had found this little place a couple years ago, when I was just going for a walk and had gotten lost in the woods. It was a little clearing with a small lake in the middle, and soft grass and little flowers everywhere.

Lately I'd been coming here a lot. My parents were always fighting, then as soon as they could see me they'd let it all out on me. I hated it, and having them always blame everything on me didn't help me with the fact that I hadn't gotten accepted to any colleges. I'd applied to a bunch-but I'd only gotten three replies, which all said I hadn't been accepted. I like to be alone when I was upset, which is another reason why I love coming here.

"Hope?"

I sighed. Of course. There was always that one person who knew I was here, who could find me anywhere. I had showed him this spot one day when I was really upset and just wanted to get away from everything.

But wait…he was on tour with his band. He was supposed to be in Australia right now, wasn't he? It was a six month tour and the last time I had seen him was…six months ago. Wow. With a start, I realized that it was the 18th; the day that he came home to Doncaster.

"Hope?" He called out again. I could hear his footsteps getting closer.

I sat up in the grass, trying to make myself presentable. I had been in love with him for two years, (even though he didn't know it and would never love me back) and I didn't want him to see me for the first time in six months looking a mess.

He stepped into the clearing right as I stood up. He looked perfect as always: His brown hair swept to one side on top of his head, his bright blue eyes twinkling. He wore a red and blue striped shirt with skinny jeans and toms. Suspenders hung from his waist.

His mouth turned into a huge grin as his eyes landed on me. "Hope!" He called, running over and pulling me into a big hug, lifting me off my feet. I wrapped my arms around his neck, breathing in his scent. I had missed him so much.

Louis. That's right-THE Louis Tomlinson, from One Direction. He and I had met when we were both eight, when my family moved to Doncaster and we were neighbours with the Tomlinson's. Louis and I were immediately best friends.

He set me down and pulled away to look away at me, his hands still on my waist. "How are you? I've missed you so much!"

"I missed you too!" I said. "How was the tour?"

We sat down in the grass and talked about the tour, and Louis told me a bunch of stories about the other boys. I missed them too. Louis had introduced us a couple weeks before the tour, and I got along well with all of them.

"But what about you?" he asked. "How's everything been here at home?"

"Nothing new," I said, looking around. "You know. Same old, same old."

"Hope," he said softly. I didn't look at him. I knew that if I did, if I saw the worry in his eyes, I would break. Just like I always did around him.

But he brought his hand up to my chin and turned my head to face him. He said two words, soft but demanding: "Tell me."

And I did. I told him about my parents, the college thing, even about the little things in school that were slowly but surely driving me towards the edge. He listened intently, his eyes on mine the whole time.

We stayed there for hours, just talking and fooling around. By the time the sun had started to set and it was getting darker, we were lying side by side in the grass. The conversation had died down into a comfortable silence.

I turned to look at him as he was looking up at the stars. I studied his beautiful profile; his long eyelashes, the small stubble around his mouth, the line of his jaw. He was just so…perfect.

He turned to look at me. I blushed and smiled, then turned to look back up at the sky. I could feel his eyes still on me.

"You're beautiful," he suddenly whispered.

I turned back to him, shocked. "What?"

"I said," he said, moving so that he was on his side, leaning on his elbow so he could look down on me, "you are so, so beautiful." His eyes were burning into mine.

I didn't say anything; I didn't know what to say. Suddenly his gaze flickered to my lips and back up. He leaned forward a little, then some more. His eyes questioned mine. When I didn't object, he leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. They were soft and warm. He pulled away way too soon and just looked at me.

"What was that for?" I asked.

He laughed softly. "Hope, I love you. I have for a very long time, and being away on tour made me realize just how much."

"I love you too."


	94. Chapter 94

**NIGHT ONE**  
"JESUS CHRIST!"  
I dropped the cardboard box and threw my hands over my eyes, scrunching them shut just in case. I heard the boy curse under his breath before a few hurried footsteps preceded a hastily closed bathroom door.  
"S-sorry," he stuttered, his accent strange. "I wasn't expecting anyone but the boys! Of course, you don't know who the boys are… Oh God, I'm so sorry."  
Slowly I lowered my hands from my face, letting one eye open cautiously before the other followed. Wet footprints shone under the hallway lights and my cardboard box of belongings lay on its side, a little battered but still whole.  
"Are you okay out there?" he asked again in that strange, unfamiliar accent.  
"Y-yeah… I'm fine, just a little surprised," I croaked out, finding my voice.  
"Really?" The door opened a crack and I sucked in a shallow breath, immediately drawn to the piercing blue eyes that peeked out from behind the door with concern. "You don't sound fine."  
Still very confused and very much in shock, I somehow managed to bring a smile to my face.  
"Yes, really," I reassured him. "I'm fine. I should probably get this stuff to my room though, so introductions later? Preferably when you've found some clothes," I added with a laugh, though the sight I'd seen mere moments ago of the tall, scruffy-haired boy in nothing but a towel made me want to take back the suggestion.  
He chuckled, showing off a set of brilliant, adorably crooked, white teeth, those electric blue eyes sparkling a thousand volts.  
"Good plan," he agreed and the door shut again.  
It took two more trips but finally I groaned as I fell onto my bed, the last cardboard box sat with the others in the furthest corner of the bare apartment bedroom.  
"What have you done, Sara?" I asked myself. "It's your first night here and you manage to look like an idiot. The guy probably thinks you're some kind of perve."  
I was exhausted and suddenly extremely glad that I'd packed my bedding in my immediate luggage, the linen already in its place over the mattress.

There was the rustle of bed sheets and a pair of warm, strong hands moving my limbs gently before the linen settled lightly over my frame. Still out of it, I didn't really register what was going on.  
"It's just me," the person said, tucking the sheets up around me. "Your roommate, Niall. We didn't get to do introductions but I'll get your name off you in the morn-"  
"Sara," I managed to mutter, though I don't know how I did it considering I was still almost completely asleep. "My name's Sara."  
"Well then, Sara, it's nice to meet you. Sleep tight."

 **NIGHT TWO**  
"It's just us!"  
The accent I'd come to know so well echoed through the small apartment. Niall could be so loud sometimes – though I suppose all of the boys could be pretty loud. Speaking of which…  
"HEY SARA!" Harry yelled, leaping over the back of the sofa to land heavily next to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder with a smile lighting up his face.  
In the week I'd been living with the boys I'd never had a dull moment. Niall lived with me but the others lived in pairs in the apartments either side of ours. There was Harry, with the dark curly hair and dimples, Louis with green-grey eyes and the biggest streak of immaturity I'd ever seen in a twenty year old, Liam who was still cheeky but the most responsible of the group and Zayn, with the dark complexion and big brown eyes who was shy at first but opened up quite quickly with his friends around him as support. Harry lived with Louis and Liam and Zayn shared an apartment on the other side.  
"How's your day been?" Niall asked, dropping onto the sofa on my other side. I felt the familiar turning in my stomach at the sight of his smile but hid it as usual, acting like I wasn't enjoying the warmth of his shoulder against mine or the scent of his cologne.  
"Good," I replied with a smile that was an automatic response to his. No matter what, when Niall smiled, I smiled. "A little bit boring, but good."  
He frowned. "Boring? Well we'll have to fix that," he stated and the grin reappeared, much to my delight.

"Don't you two get too cozy now!" Louis yelled cheekily, tone full of implications, as he shut the apartment door behind him.  
"Go home Lou!" Niall yelled in response before smiling at me standing in the hall opposite him, giggling.  
"You're horrible at Call of Duty," he pointed out and I laughed again.  
"I know," I admitted, and meant it. I really was bad at COD. "But hey, I was the entertainment, right?"  
"You're a little more to m- I mean, to _us_ than just entertainment, Sara," he said suddenly, avoiding eye contact as he leant against the wall, arms folded across his chest.  
"Wow, well didn't someone just get all serious. I think you're tired," I joked, trying to lighten the air. I didn't really know what Niall meant but I didn't deal well with intimate conversation, especially with attractive boys.  
The way he said everything in that adorable Irish accent of his didn't make it any easier.  
"Night, Niall," I said with a small smile and a wiggle of my fingers as I slipped in my bedroom, closing the door behind me.  
"Night Sara," I heard him respond quietly, and I listened to his slow footsteps as they faded off down the hall, eventually disappearing altogether.

 **NIGHT THREE**  
"You're going for _how_ long?!"  
I had tried to keep an air of disinterest in my voice but I was having trouble registering what Zayn had just said.  
"Two months," he repeated cautiously, looking slightly alarmed at my reaction.  
" _Two months?!_ " I almost shrieked, making Zayn look even more alarmed.  
"Calm down, Sara," Liam sat down next to me and wrapped a supportive arm around my shoulder. "Two months really isn't that long. It's only eight weeks – we'll be back before you know it. Besides," he continued, leaning close but stage-whispering so everyone could hear clearly, "surely it'll be nice to actually have some food in your fridge for once."  
The other boys began to laugh as an indignant "Hey!" came from my kitchen. Niall emerged two seconds later, looking offended despite the mouthful of burrito he was working his way through.  
"See? Surely you won't miss that gorgeous boy. Such a dainty eater," Liam continued with pleasant sarcasm.  
The thing is, I _would_ miss that gorgeous boy. I missed him when he was away for two nights. How on earth was I going to cope without him for two months?!  
"This is why I'm glad I live with Sara," he said, sitting down on my other side and pushing Liam's arm away to wrap his own lean, muscled arm around my shoulders. "She appreciates me. She's _nice_. Plus she's cleaner than the lot of you and she smells better."  
"Can't say the same for you, I'm afraid," I replied with a smirk on my face, trying to regain my composure as he feigned another expression of betrayal.  
"Your words are hurting me, Sara. On the inside."  
I shrugged nonchalantly, managing to knock Niall's arm away in the process. His closeness had become stifling and I needed to free myself.  
"We'll see if two months without you changes her tune, 'ey?" Harry suggested cheekily and the whole thing degenerated into a tackle session after I threw a pillow at him.

"So you'll definitely be okay by yourself?"  
It was hard enough to deal with him leaving for so long, but the fact that he'd come back to talk to me alone, ask me if I was okay… it was almost impossible to bear.  
"I'll be fine," I choked out, hoping I sounded more convincing than I felt.  
"Don't hesitate to call me or any of the boys if there's trouble or even if you're just feeling lonely, okay?" He asked me seriously, and I nodded.  
"Okay."  
"Right. Well," he sounded a little lost for words and I was about to open my mouth to say something myself when he stepped forward.  
"I'm gonna miss you."  
And with a lingering kiss on my forehead, he left.

 **NIGHT FOUR**  
"Hello, this is Sara," I said, wondering who would be calling my home phone so late. I was huddled up in one of Niall's hoodies – he'd lent it to me on a cold day long ago and I'd simply never given it back – and had been about to head to bed.  
"HI SARA!"  
I laughed as I recognized the five accents as they crackled down the phone line.  
"Hi boys!" I replied with equal excitement. It felt so good to hear their voices – all I'd gotten for a month so far were texts. Which were good, but definitely not as good as a phone call.  
"We've missed you," they all said at the same time and I felt my chest tighten.  
"I've missed you too, boys," I replied.

I talked to each of the boys in turn – Louis demanded that he go first, and there was much struggle on Harry's part to wrench it from him when his time was up. Then once he was done, Zayn commandeered the phone until he was ready to hand it over to Liam.  
"Well, it's been good talking to you," Liam said, wrapping up our chat. "I can speak for all the boys when I say we've missed you."  
"I've missed you all too, Liam. You're looking after them, right?"  
There was a grumble from the other end of the phone. "When am I _not_ looking after them, Sara?"  
I laughed. "Fair point. Well, they're all alive and healthy so you must be doing something right," I pointed out.  
"Don't jinx it," he pleaded. "It's only a matter of time, I swear."  
I laughed again and this time he joined in.  
"Oh, look. Niall's shooting me death stares. I think he might want to talk to you."  
"Well, you'd better put him on then," I said, keeping my tone jovial but secretly feeling my stomach fill with butterflies.  
"Love you, Sara. See you soon!"  
I smiled but then listened nervously as I heard the phone exchange hands.  
"Hey Sara."  
"Hey Niall."  
There was a second of silence.  
" _Well don't just sit there like a mute - talk to her, you idiot!_ "  
"Hold on a sec," he said to me before I heard a hand slide over the receiver. However it wasn't blocking it well enough to cut out what I wanted to hear.  
" _Piss off, the lot of you. Go on, go!_ "  
There was laughter and then the silence of an empty room.  
"Sorry, I'm back," he said, sighing.  
I grinned. "Something the matter?" I asked.  
"Just the boys. You know, being the boys. As per usual."  
"But isn't that why you love them? Isn't that why half the world loves them?"  
He sighed. "I will never understand why. It is a complete mystery how anyone finds the five of us anything more than extremely immature and annoying." He chuckled.  
"Well, I don't know. I think you've got some pretty redeeming qualities," I replied with a small smile that I was glad he couldn't see.  
" _Niall? I don't know who you're on the line to but you're going to have to wrap it up. There're a bunch of fans outside and we're going to have you boys do a small meet'n'greet. If we don't, it'll be chaos trying to get out of here later. The others are waiting by the exit doors for you._ "  
I felt my stomach drop with disappointment.  
"Hey, did you hear that?" He asked quietly.  
I nodded.  
"Sara, you need to speak when you're on a phone. I can't see you."  
"Oh, right – yeah, I heard. Pretty crazy there, huh?" I asked.  
"Yeah," he said tiredly. "I love the fans, don't get me wrong, but… it's just very full-on sometimes."  
Suddenly I wanted nothing more than to give him what he'd told me the fans called a 'Horan Hug' and make him feel better.  
"Well, duty calls." I heard a chair scrape back over wooden flooring and footsteps followed by a door opening. He was heading out to the fans – to the girls lucky enough to see him tonight. I could hear them cheering for the boys. Chanting their names. Chanting his name.  
"I've missed hearing you voice, Sara."  
"I've missed hearing yours too, Niall."  
"Love you," he said, voice increasingly drowned out by the chants and screams.  
"Love you too," I said to a bunch of shrieking fans and then a dial tone.

 **NIGHT FIVE**  
"Come on, Sara. Calm yourself. You're acting like a moron."  
I was pacing the eerily still apartment – even after two months of solitude, I still hadn't gotten used to the complete silence that the boys' absence had created.  
After nearly two whole hours of pacing back and forth in the hall, I finally collapsed at the kitchen's island counter-slash-bar, letting the tall stool take my weight as I rested my head against the cool granite bench-top.  
"They're late," I whispered to myself exhaustedly. "Why are they late?"  
I took another quick look at the clock, despite my better judgment, and groaned.  
"Two hours overdue!" I cried out to myself as I saw the clock hands perched at 10.09pm. "Are the boys _ever_ going to come home?"  
I let my head fall back against the granite softly.  
"Is _Niall_ ever going to come home?"

"OH MY GOD WHAT IS GOING ON?!"  
I started flipping out, writhing around in the grasp of – well, I didn't know who it was, and that was the problem.  
"LET GO OF ME!" I yelled, feeling adrenaline and fear coursing through my veins.  
Then suddenly a familiar voice broke through my panic.  
"Sara! SARA! It's me! It's _Niall!_ "  
Suddenly my whole body went limp and I felt myself fall against him, his arms loosening as their intentions turned from restraint to embrace. I was weak with exhaustion but mostly relief, laughing into his chest as we sat on my bed in the dark.  
"You weren't home when you said you would be, you didn't call…" I began to stammer, sleep still clouding my mind and shutting off the filter between my brain and my mouth.  
He hushed me, rocking me until my heartbeat slowed to a normal pace.  
"There were weather problems so we couldn't land for nearly an hour and a half. I would've texted but my phone had to stay on flight mode while we were in the air. Then I finally got home and you were asleep in the kitchen. Why on earth were you there?"  
I took deep breaths, embarrassed that Niall had found me there and shocked that he'd managed to carry me all the way to my room before it woke me.  
"Well I was pacing 'cause you weren't home and I was worried so I couldn't sleep and you guys didn't tell me anything and so I got freaked out and thought you might've had an accident or a plane crash or-" I was rambling, feeling that dread building back up in my stomach just remembering how sick with worry I'd become.  
"Hey hey hey!" slender fingers gripped my shoulders gently and drew me back so that he could duck down to look up into my face. "Don't think stuff like that! We're fine, see? I'm fine, it's okay. We're okay."  
"Yeah, I know that _now_ ," I mumbled and Niall pulled me close again, cradling me to his chest. "I just couldn't sleep, 'cause I was scared and you weren't here and I didn't know…"  
"Shhh," he hushed me gently. "I'm here, there's nothing to be scared about. Just go back to sleep, Sara. I'm not going anywhere."  
And so I relaxed, cradled in Niall's arms, as he sang me softly sleep.

 **NIGHT SIX**  
"PASS TO ME, SARA! TO ME!"  
Lou was going mental, waving his arms about and yelling.  
"Sorry boo-bear, but this goal's mine!"  
Harry stood in our goals, completing our team of three. Covering Lou was Zayn and chasing me down the length of the field as I sped toward the opposing goals was Niall, though I had a sneaking suspicion he was going easy on me.  
"You're not being soft, are you Nialler?" I accused, slowing down just slightly.  
He grinned and I just saw it as I glanced briefly over my shoulder.  
"No, but the fact that you thought I was means that my plan's going to work perfectly!"  
Attempting to take advantage of my slowed pace, he kicked out to get the ball away from my feet. However I swept my foot to the side and was about to execute a perfect trip when somehow, his ankle caught between both my own and we went down together, landing in a tangled heap of pointy elbows and bruised knees. And it was one of my knees that ploughed straight into Niall's ribs.  
The crunching sound was horrific. His cry of pain was even worse.

I'd been paused in the hallway across from his room with a tray of food for at least fifteen minutes, just watching. Watching the boys jostle with one another. Watching them affectionately annoy Niall. Watching Niall wince every time he laughed.  
Watching the pretty young nurse with the red hair falling over herself to attend to his every need.  
Finally she was called to leave and I was comfortable entering the room. I was still feeling a little green with jealousy at the girl's proximity to Niall and her ability to help him but seeing all the boys instantly brought a smile to my face.  
"Nurse Sara to the dessert-related rescue!"  
I slid into the hospital room with the tray of tea and cake and was immediately met with cheers and expressions of delight. I hastily put the tray down and stepped away as the boys dived for the treats.  
"You're a bunch of wild animals," I joked fondly as I took one of the suddenly vacated seats by Niall's bedside.  
"You're far too good to them. Perhaps you'd do better as an animal tamer, Nurse Sara," he teased, wincing as the light chuckle jostled his tender injuries.  
"I'm really sorry for breaking your ribs," I apologised for what must have been the millionth time, looking with concern at his bruised and bandaged chest.  
"If you say sorry once more, I'm going to stop talking to you," he warned. "Besides, it was just one of the many times you took my breath away," he joked.  
"I'd like to think I could leave someone breathless without having to knee the air supply from their lungs by force."  
"You were never one for using normal methods," he teased back and I reached out to ruffle his soft bleached hair, laughing at his cries of protest.  
Suddenly we were both distracted by a clatter from the table in the corner of the room; the boys were verging on a tussle over the last segment of cake. They were getting rowdier by the second and I could see it ending badly for all involved.  
"Right, that's it!" I stood. "All of you, out! It's late. You've had your tea and your cake, you've talked to the patient, now it's time to go home. He needs rest, not the four of you threatening to start a damn food fight!"  
"Come on boys," Liam said. "You heard her. Time to go – Nurse's orders." He winked at me teasingly and I poked my tongue out at him with a smile on my face.  
"Lucky Irishman, gets the pretty girl to look after him when he's hurt," Harry grumbled jokingly and I raised my eyebrows at him.  
"Do you want me to break your ribs as well then, Harry?"  
He shook his head quickly, curls bouncing from side to side. "I think I'll be alright, actually."  
"Yeah, that's what I thought. Now go on, we'll see you tomorrow."  
Finally, with their last goodbyes and well-wishes, the boys filed out of the room, closing the door behind them.  
"Thanks for that," he murmured. "They were starting to give me a bit of a headache."  
"I know, they're shockingly good at that," I joked, sitting back down. "How are you feeling?"  
He chuckled dryly, wincing again. "I've felt better," he admitted. "And I mean, the care I get here is pretty shitty."  
I felt a little surge of joy. He didn't like the care, which meant he didn't like his carers. Which meant he didn't like the pretty redhead nurse-slash-fangirl who fluttered her eyelids at him like they were having seizures.  
"Well, perhaps you should complain to the hospital then," I suggested. "Tell them to raise their standards."  
"It's only shitty because the nurse leaves me alone too long and too often," he clarified, the grin still on his face as I felt my expression drop.  
"Well I can go get her for you then, if you want her so much."  
"I don't mean _that_ nurse. _You're_ my nurse, as far as I'm concerned. You take better care of me than anyone. In fact, I wish they'd switch that redhead for you."  
My spirits soared. "Fine then; as much as it pains me to do so, I _suppose_ I could stay here for a little while longer," my tone dripped with mock-resignation and I returned to my seat, unable to hide my grin.  
"You're far too good to me," he said tiredly. "Far, far too good."  
I leant against the edge of the mattress and watched him drift off to sleep. It wasn't until he was snoring lightly that I realised he had never let go of me.  
Instead, his hand had slid down to allow his fingers to intertwine with my own.

 **NIGHT SEVEN**  
"So do you want to come?"  
Tonight the boys had a concert on nearby and at the last second they were inviting me.  
"Are you kidding me?" I asked in shock. "Of course I want to come!"  
"Awesome. Well we're going to be there for most of the day doing last-second mic checks and such," Zayn explained, "but we'll come home, get ready and take you in with us. Sound like a plan?"  
"Only the best plan I've ever heard!" I replied eagerly.  
"Well then you'd better make yourself look your prettiest, love. You're going to be in all the photographs, whether you like it or not," Louis warned.  
I was so excited. I'd never been to one of the boys' concerts before – when we'd started living together I didn't even know they were famous. I'd done an overseas study program for a year in Japan and missed the largest part of their rise to stardom. In a way that was probably a good thing because if I'd known about them I probably would've made a complete fool of myself in front of them.  
Seeing as it was too early to start getting ready and the boys were all at sound checks, I opened up my laptop to check my favourite social sites. Facebook was dead and more people must have found out on Tumblr that I lived with the boys because there'd been another ridiculous surge in my number of followers.  
And then, just as I thought the Internet was not going to present anything of interest to me, I saw Niall's latest tweet;  
' _More excited than words can describe – hanging out with my favourite girl tonight!_ '  
I beamed at the computer screen. That boy was so adorable.  
And he called me his favourite girl.

"Are you nearly ready, love?"  
"Just about!" I called back in response to Lou's query, rushing around my room looking for my other earring.  
"Sara, we're gonna wait for you in the car, okay? Please hurry," Harry urged.  
"Sorry, I'll be right there!" I replied.  
Finally I found the other earring and, after one last quick check, decided I was as ready as ever to face the masses. Grabbing my small clutch from the bed I hurried out, nearly dying of fright when I saw Niall standing in the living room as I'd been expecting everyone to be outside.  
"Jesus Niall!" I exclaimed. "Why aren't you in the car?"  
He just looked at me with a strange expression on his face, hands shoved deep in his suit pockets. He looked so good it was surreal.  
"…What?" I asked, looking down at myself, then back up at him. "What is it? Am I wearing the wrong thing for a concert? I don't really know what's usually worn…"  
There was another second of silence.  
"Niall?"  
He shook his head a little and his face cleared.  
"No, it's fine," he said in an odd tone. "Come on, let's join the others in the car before they get restless."

I'd been so overwhelmed – the people, the paparazzi, the press, they were just everywhere at once. And the _noise_ ; the screaming was deafening. I was sure the boys must have gotten some kind of hearing damage from being surrounded by that level of noise so frequently.  
Then I'd had an exciting hour with the boys backstage – it was so strange seeing them so nervous and yet so fired up. They each gave me a long, tight hug before they disappeared onto the brilliantly lit stage and I watched them almost unblinkingly from behind the scenes, afraid to miss a single second.  
After that was the tremendous screaming and the boys positively beaming, rushing off stage pumping with adrenaline.  
"You were amazing!" I cried over the nose, laughing as I was gathered up into a tight group hug. Their energy was electrifying and contagious.  
"Right you lot!" One of the ladies with the headpieces had made her way over to us, smiling at our antics fondly. "Sorry to cut the party short but you've got fifteen minutes to grab a drink and wind down before you're expected outside for more signings. You'll probably just leave straight from there so you might as well get ready to go. Oh, and great performance guys. You're always good but tonight was something else entirely."  
I felt so proud and as we all headed for the dressing rooms I grabbed Niall's hand without thinking.  
"You really were great, you know," I told him.  
He'd been looking down at me in surprise but his features softened and he smiled.  
"Well, you make a fantastic good luck charm. And you're a pretty good one-woman backstage cheer squad. Not quite the same as the cheerleading you've done in the past, but I think you pulled it off."  
"You _think?_ " I asked teasingly. "Horan, I was what made you fantastic. You'd all be mediocre without your 'favourite girl's amazing skills of encouragement and support."  
"Could your head get _any_ bigger?" He asked, laughing as he ruffled my hair playfully. I joined in with the laughter – Niall's laughter was always ridiculously infectious – and batted his hands away gently. After a few more seconds of mussing it up, he resigned and, putting his hands up in a sign of peace, began to fix what he'd messed up.  
My laughter was still fading when he reached deep into the pocket of his suit pants and pulled out a little black box.  
"What's that?" I asked immediately.  
"Just a little something I thought would look good on you," he answered vaguely. "Close your eyes."  
"Is that an order, Mr. Horan?"  
"Just do it before I make you do it, Sara," he was still joking but there was more of a serious edge to his tone and so I did as I was told.  
There was the snap of the box opening. Something rustling. The cold touch of metal against my skin, mixed with the warmth of Niall's fingertips as he gently fixed a clasp at the back of my neck.  
"There. You can open your eyes now. And I was right about it looking good on you."  
Immediately I looked down; resting in the hollow at the base of my throat was a small, intricate three-leaf clover made of thin silver. It was very similar, in fact, to a less expensive-looking necklace he wore himself with the same sort of pendant – the three-leaf clover to show off his Irish pride.  
"You're my good luck charm," he explained when I didn't say anything. "But I though you deserved a good luck charm too."  
"I love it," I said, beaming up at him before pulling him into a tight hug.  
"Good. If you ever take it off or lose it, I'm going to consider it a great personal insult. And I probably won't talk to you for a week."  
I just laughed. "I'm never going to take it off. Ever."

 **NIGHT EIGHT**  
"Here's to a whole year of not completely destroying our apartments!"  
Lou raised his glass high and the rest of us did the same. As the evening sky turned a dusty orange over the adjoining courtyard between our apartments, the six of us sat at a small round table overflowing with food, celebrating our one-year 'moving in' anniversary. The dress was semi-formal and it was probably a little extravagant for something so insignificant but I was having a great time.  
Not to mention that my favourite blond-haired, blue-eyed Irishman sitting next to me looked incredible with his light blue, button-down shirt tucked into his charcoal trousers as he laughed in the fading light.  
"Cheers!" he cried in that beautiful accent, perfect smile plastered on his face.  
The champagne glasses tinkled as they gently bumped into one another and we acknowledged Lou's toast with a hearty drink each.

"As reluctant as I am to cover up how beautiful you look, I'm afraid you're going to freeze to death."  
The other boys had all drunk far too much champagne – except Liam, of course, who was now shepherding them all back to bed as Niall headed toward me with his jacket in his hands. Trying to ignore the 'beautiful' comment so that I wouldn't lose it completely, I gratefully slid into the warmth the fabric offered, the smell of his cologne embedded in the fibers.  
"It's one of my favourites so you're going to have to give it back when you're inside," he warned me, smiling as we sat down on the edge of one of the courtyard's raised flowerbed walls. Light shone from the apartment windows above where the four other boys were readying themselves for bed and I was thankful for the poor lighting because it hid the smile that came to my face as I felt the well-worn item of clothing's shape, the shape of Niall.  
"You have very broad shoulders," I pointed out, clutching the just-too-big jacket to keep it from slipping off of my frame.  
"No, you just have small shoulders," he retaliated with a smile. "Ready to go home?"  
I was reluctant to give back the jacket and I knew that going inside would mean having to do just that, so I hedged.  
"Uh, no," I said innocently. "I'm enjoying the night air. You can go home if you want to though, I'll leave your precious jacket on your door handle." I grinned, joking with him.  
"But it's not home if you're not in it," he said suddenly and I felt my ribcage tighten.  
"Well then it'll be hard for you when we eventually part ways," I said, unable to bring my voice to much more than a whisper as I avoided actually considering having to live with someone else, somewhere else. Anyone and anywhere that wasn't here, with Niall.  
"Who says we ever have to part ways?" He said almost defensively. I looked up at his face to try and read his emotions but he was turned away from me, looking at something else as though he were trying to hide from me.  
Without thinking, and without being able to stop myself, I suddenly blurted out the question I'd been keeping in the back of my mind for the entire conversation.  
"Do you really think I look beautiful?" I asked quietly.  
Niall sighed and stood, still looking away. But he didn't walk away until he'd answered.  
"You always look beautiful, Sara. Always."  
I clutched at the necklace around my neck as I watched him disappear into the apartment.

 **NIGHT NINE**  
It was at least six thirty before he found me. And I'd been trying so hard to avoid everything and everyone, especially him.  
"What are you doing out here?"  
I quickly wiped at the damp tracks my tears had left, not wanting them to betray me. I'd just managed to make myself look normal when Niall sat down next to me on the edge of the garden bed, but I still kept my gaze downcast, fixed on my hands as they lay in my lap, legs crossed with my elbows resting on my knees.  
"Nothing," I replied, wincing as I heard the evidence of crying in the hoarseness of my voice.  
"That didn't sound like nothing," he said gently, shuffling closer and leaning over to try and look up into my face.  
I pulled the hoodie around me more tightly as I looked away, fiddling absently with the necklace.  
"Is that my hoodie?"  
"Yes," I replied shortly, feeling silly for having kept it for a year as though if I had it, I'd always have Niall. I started to take it off but he reached out to stop me.  
"Don't. Keep it," he told me. "It looks a million times better on you anyway."  
"Whatever," I said and rolled my eyes. It was going to be a lot easier for me to be annoyed with him than to try and pretend nothing was wrong.  
"Are you going to tell me what's the matter or am I going to have to force it out of you?" He asked.  
"Do you have time? There's a lot of stuff for you to pack. Wouldn't want to move out tomorrow and realise you've left something behind."  
That's right; Niall Horan and the rest of One Direction were moving out. To London.  
Tomorrow.  
Without me.  
I'd hidden all day so I didn't have to see how excited they were, so I didn't have to see all of Niall's things in our apartment packed in cardboard boxes in the living room.  
He was silent for a second. "You know I don't want to go, Sara. And unless you're in the car with me and all my stuff tomorrow when we drive away then I already know I'm leaving something behind."  
"Then why are you going?"  
He looked disappointed, like he didn't want me to be like this and I was upsetting him.  
"Because sometimes you have to leave even though you really want to stay," he replied. Then he got up and walked inside.

It wasn't until the sun had sunk below the horizon and the moon had taken its place that I headed back inside. I purposefully avoided looking at the boxes, instead keeping my eyes locked on the fridge.  
"I knew you'd come here sooner or later."  
I froze. I'd been hoping I'd be able to come in, stuff myself and then get out again without running into him, but he was waiting for me.  
"Damnit," I cursed, backing away and closing the fridge door in frustration.  
"You and I are just too alike, Sara," he pointed out, sliding from the darkened corner of the bench top and landing on the floor with a soft thud.  
"What is it, Niall. What do you want me to do? What do you want me to say?"  
"Nothing," he said, moving over to stand in front of me. "I just want to ask you a question, that's all."  
I was a little confused but too angry with my own emotions to let anything but frustration show.  
"What, Niall?"  
He took another step forward until I was unable to move back any further, the cold edge of the bench top behind me softened by his hoodie as it pressed into my back.  
"Move in with me."  
I blinked once. Then a second time.  
"That wasn't a question," I blurted out.  
Niall rolled his perfect blue eyes. Mere centimeters away from my own, I could see every little detail of their icy blue depths in a way that I'd never seen them before.  
"Are you really going to nitpick, Sara? I just want you to move in with me, okay? I can't call somewhere home without you in it. I'll drag you to London if I have to." He ran his finger over the clover pendant around my neck. "I need my lucky charm."  
I still was having trouble wrapping my mind around the idea of moving. And to London, with One Direction, no less.  
"I… but I mean… I can't move to London!" I stammered, trying to look everywhere but his eyes in order to maintain brain function.  
He grinned cheekily and I melted.  
"Dragging you to London it is, then!" He grabbed both of my wrists and I immediately tried to pull them away. However my struggling was cut short as Niall quickly drew my hands behind his back, pulling us tightly together.  
"Try and tell me you don't want to come with me," he challenged me softly, that cheeky glint still in his eyes.  
"I c-"  
I was cut off by his lips pressed to mine – softly at first, but increasing in pace as he released my hands so he could wrap his arms around my waist and lift me onto the kitchen bench.  
Finally he pulled back and the only reason I was glad about it was because I needed to breathe. My head was tilted forward and I looked down at him as our foreheads rested against each other, the heavy inhale and exhale as we struggled to get air back into our starving lungs the only noises in the apartment.  
"I can't wait to move to London with you," I finally whispered and laughed at his expression. "What, you really thought I would say no?"  
"Well, I take the kiss back then," he said softly in return.  
I grinned. "Well, I'll just have to get another one."  
He grinned as well and our second kiss was going well until it was interrupted by the door swinging open loudly. We pulled apart just in time to see the boys' reactions and we both absolutely lost it.  
"Boys," Niall said breathlessly, "I've got some good news… I've found our sixth roommate!"  
"What?!" They all yelled in unison.  
"You didn't think you'd get rid of me that easily, did you?" I asked in fake shock.  
The five boys emitted a chorus of cheers before they tackled me to the ground.  
Later that night, Niall would tweet;  
' _Srry ladies, this Irishman's off the market! Already was bt now its official! Best night of my life!_ '  
Life was absolutely perfect. 


	95. Chapter 95

Louis had this weird almost hypnotizing power about him. You bent over backwards for him. All of your friends told you he was bad news, but you couldn't admit that maybe they were right. You could only ever see him at odd hours and last minute and it was really taking a toll on your life. Your phone never left your side just in case he texted or called. You wanted desperately to prove that he wasn't as bad as everyone was saying.

After he stood you up on a date, he called you later that night and asked to come over. Things had been really stressful lately, and you were done. You told him to come over, with the intent of ending it. Louis arrived with a big bouquet of your favourite flowers. "I am so sorry." He frowned. You stepped back to let him in. He placed the flowers on the counter. He was faced away from you.

"Louis, look, we really should talk." You reluctantly started.

"Wait, can I say something first?" He turned around and walked over to you. He placed his hands on either side of your hips. "I know I haven't been there as much as I should be, but I really do love you." Your resolve melted at the look on his face. He looked so genuine. You let yourself melt into his embrace.

The next morning, he was in the shower and you were laying in bed looking at twitter on your phone. You saw tons of tweets from girls saying how excited they were that the boys were going to be in the states tomorrow. His phone started ringing on the bedside table. You leaned over to see the caller ID. If it was one of the other boys, you'd pick up and talk to them. Instead, a picture of a girl and "New York" was what you saw for the display. Maybe it was a friend? You tried to convince yourself that it was nothing. A few seconds later you heard it buzz indicating that "New York" had left a voicemail. A few seconds later it buzzed again. "You should check your voicemail. See you soon?;)"

Your heart started shattering. You thought things had finally fallen together last night. You tried to focus yourself back on your own phone when Louis walked out with a towel wrapped around his hips. "Good morning." He smiled, climbing onto the bed to kiss your cheek. You didn't respond, not trusting yourself to even make a noise in case you started crying. "Something interesting on your phone there, babe?" He asked, clearly wanting your attention.

"Not as interesting as your phone." You heard yourself say, not sure where this confrontational side of you had come from. "Who is 'New York?' " You looked at him.

"You looked at my phone." He stated, matter of factly.

"Not the right answer." You said, getting off the bed and walking into the bathroom. It was muggy and humid, but you were alone in there. He was in a second after you though. "You got a call while you were in the shower and I looked over to see if it was one of the guys because I haven't talked to them in a while, but no, it's her. And then she left a voicemail and sent you a text." You shook your head. "Listen, if I'm just going to make it into your phone as a place or a number, I'm not interested." You said, leaning against the sink.

"It's not what you think it is." He shook his head, looking sad. "Listen, I thought I could deal with this before you and I got serious, but it didn't happen. She is a girl I met in New York, yes, but it's not like that." You looked up at him and crossed your arms over your chest. "Okay, it started like that yeah, but I was in a rough place. I sent her a text last night so we could talk. I wanted her to know that it wasn't going to be like that when I was there again, but she couldn't talk."

"Louis, if you're lying, just stop. I can take it."

"I'm not. I want to be with you. Just you. Hopefully for a long time." He put his hands on your elbows and looked into your eyes. "Listen, I haven't always been a good guy, and I did have a lot of fun with all of _this_ before, but I'm really not interested in being like that anymore."

You shook your head, trying to be strong. "Everyone had told me you're bad news. How am I supposed to be sure that you are going to be anything different?"

"Just trust me?" His voice was pleading and it pulled at your heart.

"You're on probation," You conceded. "But seriously, I don't even want to feel like this again. So if I do, that's it." You weren't sure if it was the heat from the bathroom, Louis' hands on you or the still raw burn you felt from seeing someone else texting Louis, but you vowed to yourself that you'd never be the girl who got cheated on and went back. "I'm so serious. I'm only trusting you now because I have no reason not to. Don't abuse it."

"I won't." He promised, pulling you into his arms. You had to admit, you did feel pretty safe there. 


	96. Chapter 96

Karen impatiently paced the small space of her boyfriend's bathroom. As she passed by the mirror, she would pause for a moment and gaze at her reflection. Her reflection was the same as usual; curly blonde hair, blue eyes and beautifully curvy. There was a small difference though, her mouth was set in a grim line where a smile was usually in place, her boobs were a little bigger, and her tummy a little more round.

She picked up her phone that was lying on the sink, thought about calling someone, put it back down. Karen began pacing once more, this time chewing on her nails. The object on top of the toilet seat scared the living shit out of her.

Her boyfriend was waiting outside of the bathroom for her where they were supposed to be on their way to his family's house in Bradford. She had complained of having some stomach problems, and rushed into the bathroom with a bag from the local pharmacy before he could really worry.

At the thought of him, someone rapped their knuckles on the door.

"Karen? Love? You okay in there? It's been a while…" the boy's British accent drifted through the door. Panic seized Karen's lungs and she shoved herself flat against the door quickly.

"Ahhhhh don't try to come in. It's poop. It's…EVERYWHERE. IT'S EVERYWHEREEE AND COMING OUT OF ME LIKE LAVA!" Karen shouted. There was a pause as her boyfriend took in her statement.

"Oh ... kay. Err maybe light a candle or something when you're done yeah?" Karen covered her mouth to stop from laughing.

"Yup, will do babe." Karen replied. She heard him walk away from the door and breathed a sigh of relief. Karen then stared at the clock on the wall, the ticking sound echoing in her skull. It seemed like it was counting down to doomsday. As the little clock needle moved to the next small dot, Karen took a huge breath and leaned down to pick up the small object on the toilet seat.

She stared at the two pink lines and nearly choked. Oh god. Karen shook the small stick in her hand, hoping it would erase the positive sign on the face of it; it didn't.

With the pregnancy test still in hand, Karen slid down the door to the ground before reaching up and grabbing her phone. She called her best friend.

He picked up on the fifth ring.

"Crikey Kar, you woke me up from quite a good nap. Was dreamin' 'bout this one girl who looked a bit like a cross between Megan Fox and…" the boy spoke upon answering.

"Nialler, I'm gonna die." Karen interrupted him. She twisted one of her blonde curls around her finger and softly banged the back of her head against the door. There was a pause before the blonde boy on the other side of the line replied.

"Alright Karen what is it? Quit with the dramatics, we aren't in one of your plays." Niall spoke seriously. Karen sighed and stared at the positive pregnancy test in her hands.

"I have an alien inside of me now. Sucking the life out of me…Your best mate is the father…" Karen said. Niall cleared his throat.

"Which one is that?" Niall asked. Karen threw back her head and laughed, wishing she was near him so she could punch him. Niall chuckled too.

"I don't know what he's going to say Nialler. I don't know what we're going to do, what I'm going to do…this will change everything." Karen stated and sighed, her tone now serious. Niall sighed too, and Karen could hear him munching on something.

"If I know me best mate, which I do, I think he'll be happy as ever about it. Maybe a little nervous, but happy. He loves ya babe. A lovechild won't change that. Now get off the phone with me and go tell him, so I can call up the other mates and tell them!" Karen smiled her hand already unconsciously on her stomach.

"You wouldn't! Don't you dare tell them Niall!" Karen threatened. Niall just laughed before hanging up the phone. Karen laughed softly before pushing herself off the ground and standing. She stared at herself in the mirror, pulled up her shirt and looked at her tummy.

It was crazy to think a little human was growing inside of her right there right now. First thing was first, she'd tell her boyfriend about it and go from there. Karen stuffed the pregnancy test in her back pocket, and then got a towel and began stuffing all of Zayn's shampoos and mousses into it. She formed some sort of makeshift infant, and then opened the door of the bathroom.

The sight of Zayn Malik sitting on the plastic seats outside the service station bathroom, tapping his finger on the side of it and staring off into space made her breath catch a little. A little piece of him would be permanently with her from now on. Wow.

He turned his remarkable brown eyes to her as she came out of the bathroom, smiled, and then dropped his gaze to the towel bundle in her hands. He stood from the chair, a clear question written on his face. Karen pressed her lips together before tossing the wrapped towel at Zayn.

"CATCH THE BABY ZAYN!" Karen shouted as she did so. Zayn yelped and grabbed at the towel, but failed miserably. He ended up catching a corner of the towel, and they both watched as it unwrapped and all of his shampoos and beauty products rolled across the floor.

"Uh ... Karen?" Zayn asked, as he stared at the towel in the corner of his hands. Karen put a hand over her face.

"You dropped the baby Zayn. Oh my god." Karen mumbled through her hand. Zayn laughed and then began hurriedly gathering up the bottles. He wrapped them back up in the towel and held it out to her.

"There. I'll play along ... the baby is fixed." Zayn said, smiling. Karen shook her head at him, but grinned.

"You can't just put back together a baby Zayn ... " Zayn's eyes dropped to the bundled towel in his hands and then back up to Karen.

"But it's not a real baby?" Zayn asked, sounding really confused. Karen gasped and then reached in her back pocket and quickly pulled out the pregnancy test. She held it up in the air dramatically.

"IT'S A REAL BABY NOW THOUGH ISN'T IT?!" Karen cried out. Zayn gasped, swore, dropped the towel to the floor once more, and stared up at the stick in her hand.

The bottles of Zayn's products once again rolled across the floor.

"Is that ... what ... really?" Zayn stuttered out. Karen looked at him and watched as his adam's apple bobbed in place several times. His eyelashes brushed against the underside of his eye as he blinked rapidly, clearly dazed.

Karen walked forward and held the test out to Zayn, who took it in return. He stared at it.

He then stared at Karen, his eyes slowly gazing down at her stomach.

Karen suddenly felt completely vulnerable, completely embarrassed.

"Oi. There's a little me inside there." Zayn stated. Karen just nodded in affirmation. Zayn slowly walked forward, his hand reaching out. Karen stared down at his hand as it touched her tummy.

"Mum's going to tear me a new one for this." His eyes creased a little. "You should've wrapped it better Zayn Javadd Malik, what were you thinking getting this decent girl pregnant and you aren't even married!" Zayn continued, his voice going high pitched as he mocked his mother's voice.

Karen placed her hand over his and shyly looked up at him.

"But ... you're okay with it? You still-still want to be with me?" Karen spoke. Zayn immediately gathered Karen into his arms, his hands going in their familiar places.

"Are you kidding? Lou's gonna be so jealous I popped a baby out before him!" Zayn and Karen both laughed. Zayn kissed the top of Karen's head, and spoke more seriously next. "I love you Karen, this doesn't change a damn thing about that, just makes it all that more better."


	97. Chapter 97

Tonight was the big night of the NYE Party in Manhattan. I was going with my best girl friend Lily and a few others. This was going to be the party of the year. Well most of the NYE parties usually turn out that way especially in New York. Anyone could be there celebrating with you, if those people weren't performing for the big show down at Times Square there was a big chance they were going to be up on one of these roof tops.

Lily was taking forever to get ready. Though I don't know why, she usually doesn't wear a lot of makeup. But then again she usually can't make up her mind on what she wants to wear for the day.

I banged on the bathroom door, "Lily! Hurry up or we'll never get a cab to the building!"

"I'm hurrying! I'm almost done! Alright," she said coming out, "So what do you think?"

"You look great! Can we go now?"

"Yeah!"

So we ran down the stairs of our apartment building to the streets.

Every cab we tried to hail was full.

"Shit, we're never going to get a cab at this time of night," I said disappointed.

"Awh, don't say that! I promised you that we're going to a great ass NYE party! And that's exactly where we're going!"

"And how are we going to get there?"

"Well you're lucky that you have a friend who just so happens to be very handy with motor vehicles," she said with a wicked smile.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Well it means that if the cute guy that lives down stairs just so happens to have left his keys in the secret compartment of his motorcycle, well then it could be easily stolen," she said, "And well you know it also helps that he's out with his girl of the month to another party, so he won't really miss his bike tonight."

"Lily, you don't even know how to ride a motorcycle," I said in disbelief.

"Now, Sammi, don't question my skills," she said starting the ignition, "Well do you want to go to the party or not," she asked handing me the second helmet. I got on the bike behind her and hugged her tightly. "I don't want to die tonight, that would such a shitty way to begin the year," I yelled over the sound of the engine.

"Don't worry, I'll get us there in one piece," she said.

She almost seemed a little too happy about this. We drove to the building in such a blur. Next thing I knew we were already there. She gave the bike keys to the valet. I must say, the face of the valet when he saw the both of us getting off the bike was priceless. Lily and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Cat got your tongue?," I asked.

"Uh," he said shocked, "no ma'am."

"Good, now can you please put this in valet," Lily said tossing him the keys.

She grabbed my hand and we ran to the elevator. "Do you know what floor we have to go to?"

"Yeah, the roof."

"What?! But it's freezing outside! Only reason why my legs didn't break off was because of the heat of the engine."

"They're going to have heaters. Now come on!"

So we entered the elevator.

"Hey! Hold the lift," I heard someone yell. I held the door open to see a blonde man and four others running behind him.

"Thanks," he said running out of breath. The four others entered. They were all so pretty and they all looked familiar, but I just can't place where I had seen them from. But damn, they were handsome. Lily hadn't noticed them yet.

"See, now didn't I tell you I was going to get you here in one piece?"

"Yeah I guess so," I said fairly cynical, "I've got to admit the guy's face at the valet was pretty priceless when he saw us get off the bike," I said laughing.

"That was you guys," one of the boys said. He had wild chestnut hair and piercing cerulean eyes. I can see Lily eyeing him up and down. Looks like I know who Lily has her sights on for the night.

"Yeah," she replied back, "We couldn't get a cab, and well we couldn't find another ride. Oh I'm Lily by the way, and this is my best friend Samantha."

"Nice," he said. I could see that he was taking an interest in her too, "Well I'm Louis, and this is Niall, Harry, Liam and Zayn." Then he turned his attention back to Lily.

"So you guys sound like you're not from around here," I said.

"I'm from Ireland," said the blonde one (I think his name was Niall?),"and the rest of the lads are from England."

As soon as he said that the elevator doors opened. Lily said goodbye and grabbed my hand and soon we were making our rounds. We were talking to practically everyone at the party. Taking drinks from the waiters. By 11 we were exhausted and we were only here for an hour. We decided to take a seat at one of the couches.

Across the way I saw the boys again. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed that Niall kept an eye on me. We occasionally exchanged glances at each other. He would blush every now and then when he saw me catch him looking at me.

After a while I had grown tired of sitting down and it started to feel a bit stuffy inside so I went out to the balcony and got some fresh air. I leaned over the ledge just taking in the city. The view of the people down in Times Square. Hearing the musical performances.

I was taken away from my thoughts by a gentle voice, "Hi. You're Samantha right?"

I turned to look at who was talking to me. It was Niall. "Yeah it is," I said with a small smile.

He was handing me a champagne flute, "Looks like you could use a drink."

"How thoughtful," I said taking the flute, "Thank you."

"So what are you doing out here? Why aren't you in there with your friend?"

"It started to feel a little too stuffy. I just wanted to get some fresh air."

"Oh, I see," he said shying away, "Well I'll let you go back to whatever it was that you were doing."

"You don't have to leave," I said taking his hand, "Why don't you stay. It's nice just talking to someone instead of trying to remember names and such." I gave a small smile. He replied by giving me this big smile and we ended up talking the rest of the night away.

It was growing closer and closer to midnight. It was actually the last minute of the year. I told him that I had to go and find Lily and he was sad to see me go. But then the countdown started. As I started to walk away he grabbed my arm and dipped me.

"Happy New Year Samantha," he said looking into my eyes. Then he went in for the kiss. Fireworks were going off in the background. Everyone cheering. I finally opened my eyes to see his piercing into mine. I held on to him smiling, "Oh yeah, this is going to be a good year." With that our lips met one more time.


	98. Chapter 98

"Well, I've finally gone mad!" I glanced back at Harry who had his arms in the air, as in a way of showing defense. "You're just now figuring this out?" I chuckled.

"Elise, shut up! I beg of you." I rolled my eyes, grinning at Harry's silly facial expressions. "I mean, if you're not gonna help…just don't talk. Just sit there and continue looking beautiful." He continued, returning back to his laptop. I blushed at his nonchalant way of complimenting me.

"Fine, I'll help. What are you doing?" I moved over one seat to sit next to Harry.

"I have emailed all of my best girlfriends in hope of setting Niall up on a date." My heart rushed.

"Niall? On a date?" I asked trying to play it cool. Niall is a really great friend of mine. He is, hands down, the most adorable person I know. I've always had a tiny crush on him, but lately my feeling have been soaring out of control. When he looked my way with his beautiful blue eyes I can't help but feel my heart race. When we play wrestle, I try to just breathe but my brain wants otherwise. Niall is the single-most person that makes me feel happy, and I am tired of having to hide that.

"Yeah." Harry mumbled while starring intensely at the computer screen.

"Well…tons of girls would be happy to do the deed." I said. It took a lot to hold back the jealous tone in my voice.

"I know! But none of these girls are right for him. He needs a funny, cute, sweet, caring girl." We sat silently for a second. I glanced over at the computer screen. Temple Run was up. I giggled.

"Seriously Harry? I thought you were looking for girls?""I already found one." he said making a loud grunt when he lost the level. My heart dropped as I tried to hold back the tears.

"Who?" I asked. My voice came out fragile and tiny. A smirk spread across Harry's face as he said,

"You." My eyes widened and I turned my head to glance at him. He stared at the computer screen as if I wasn't even there. A smile played on his beautiful face

."What makes you think I wanna do that?" excitement now took over my body. Finally I got a chance to show Niall how I truly feel about him

."Because you love him, Elise!" Harry paused the game and turned toward me. I gave him a bewildered look, but there was a grin on my face.

"Of course I do! He's my best-friend!" I said looking down.

"Oh please! It's so insanely obvious! Everybody knows." I gulped

."Everybody?""Yes! Everybody."

"Even Niall?!" One of his eyebrows raised.

"No-nope not him."

"Good, then lets keep it that way!" I said.

"Nope." his white teeth shone in the light. "He ,especially, needs to know." I heard voices coming from the hall. "yeah buddy!" I heard Niall say. He then laughed that signature laugh.

"ELISE LOVES NIALL!" Harry yelled then giggled. My head jerked towards his. Eyes wide

."Shut up!" I hissed.

"ELISE IS IN LOVE WITH NIALL HORAN!" Harry yelled again laughing loudly. I slapped his arm then shoved my hand over his mouth . I felt something wet glide across my hand. I quickly pulled it away. "ew!" I said as I wiped Harry's saliva off my hand. Suddenly very angry, I closed his laptop then headed for the door.

"I was playing that!" He said while chuckling. Apparently this was very amusing to him. I kept walking. Before I could make it to the door, Harry started to yell,

"ELISE LOVES-" I quickly cut him off by saying by yelling,

"HARRY SUCKS AT TEMPLE RUN!" it was silent for a moment then I heard him yell,

"HEY!" I laughed while turning the corner, but bumped into something. "Oh sorry!""It's alright!" I heard a cute Iris accent say.

"Oh! Hey Elise!" He said smiling. I smiled back, unable to say anything. "What's up." I managed.

"Not much…I was just looking for you."

"Why? I asked.

"I wanted to ask you something." He started to walk motioning me to follow

."About?" I looked down at my black Oxford wedges. I felt as if, if I looked at Niall, he would be able to see all of my secrets.

"Me and the lads gotta make an appearance at a party….I need a date." I looked up at him astonished. He was smiling wide, which made my stomach even more nervous.

"No!" I said. His smile slowly faded and he stopped walking. He stepped closer to me. I couldn't help but look down. I knew exactly what was about to happen. He slowly wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer. I could feel the warmth of his skin on the small of my back. He gently rocked up back and forth.

"Stop." I whined giggling.

"We could do this at the party." he said completely ignoring me. He then took my hands in his and spun me. I laughed at his silliness. He then let go and shook his hips while his hands boxed his face back and forth. He winked at me then said, while shaking his hips,

"So what do ya think? Be my date?" I blushed then smiled.

"Sure…just as long as you don't do that." He frowned."I like this dance move."

The night of the party

My heart beat faster as I made my way down to the lobby of our hotel. My stomach quivered and my hands shook. My eyes shifted down to the my body. The tight Strapless Black and White X Top (  sexy-dresses-... )dress that clung to my curves kinda made me feel insecure. I was always curvier than other girls. I wasn't fat nor skinny. No matter how much I wanted to be skinny, I realized that that wasn't going to happen. So I embraced my curves…most of the time. I smoothed my fingers over the dress. What if he thought I looked ugly. A sigh escaped my lips. "You look great! Don't worry." Mike, our bodyguard, assured me. I flashed a smile at him,"Thank you". I said. The elevator chimed it's familiar ding and there they were. All five of One Direction. I immediately stared a the floor grinning like and idiot. When I looked up my, eyes involuntarily landed on Niall. His eyes where wide. They scanned my body as I walked timidly toward him. "Hi." I mumbled. "Whoa!" Harry said. "You look hot!" Zayn said grinning."WHAT IS THIS? You look great, babe!" Louis yelled. I bushed even more. "Thanks" I was completely aware of Niall…who wasn't saying anything. I took a chance and looked up at him. He was grinning like a fool. "Let's go!" Mike said hurrying us out the door. "You look beautiful." Niall whispered in my ear. His warm breathe lashed against my ear, and my knees weakened. I smiled as we walked outside the hotel to be greeted by a sea of paparazzi.

At the party

Once we finally made our way inside the party my nervousness faded. The bass that was thumping through my body made me feel almost…bolder. Lights were flashing in every which direction and people were dancing around having fun. I felt unstoppable. I can do this. As soon as we arrived at VIP section, we flopped down, and were immediately presented with drinks. "Let's party!" Louis yelled. He pounced up and started doing his "pat the dog, screw the light bulb" dance. Not much longer Liam started dancing too. I expected Niall to join them, but he just sat there…like 10 ft. away from me. The expression on his face almost looked contemplative…maybe pained. I glanced over at Harry who already had his arm around some girl, whispering in her ear. She nodded her head, threw me a glare, then stood up, and walked away. Harry slid next to me. "Why aren't you with your lover?" He had to yell because the music was so loud. A sinister grin was placed on his face. I rolled my eyes. "Because he's avoiding me." Harry leaned in so close some of his curls grazed the side of my head."I have an idea." He paused. "A cliché idea." I chuckled."What would that be?""You're gonna be mine tonight!" I couldn't help the disgusted face I made. Harry was cute, but I liked Niall. He knew that. Was he drunk already? A roaring laugh escaped him then he whispered, "Love, we're gonna make Niall jealous.""Oh! NO!" I yelled so he could hear me. "No! I know how these things play out! It never works." He looked disappointed, but I've always wanted to try that!" He pouted his lower lip. I shook my head "no" then laughed. He fake cried. I kissed his cheek, "Sorry." He chuckled "fine." Coming straight our way was the girl Harry was with earlier."I wanna dance." She said. Harry looked at me, "At least try to have a god time." My eyebrows raised. "Dance!" he grabbed my hand and tried to pull me up. "No…" I whined following him to the crowded dance floor, " I can't dance." I felt eyes following me out. "And I can?" Harry asked laughing. This was gonna be a disaster.

Niall's POV

Elise looked beautiful so tonight. She was always beautiful. We were supposed to be on a date, but I couldn't find the nerve to treat her like once. My hands were sweaty, my heart wouldn't slow down, and my stomach hurt. All these things intensified when I went anywhere near her. Stupid feelings! At least Louis and Liam were having a great time. I looked over at Elise, who was now with Harry. I felt a twinge of jealousy as he whispered in her ear and she laughed. Harry was always good with girls. "You're gonna be mine tonight!" I could barely hear him say. I looked down at my lap and felt sick. Harry knew very well how I felt about Elise. What was he doing? I glanced back at them and Elise was kissing his cheek. I felt myself get angry. Soon Harry had her hand and was dragging her to the dance floor. I stared at her hoping she would just come back. "Dancing In the Dark" by Dev started to play. I watched as she moved her hips on Harry. Gross. I felt someone sit next to me.

"oh! Look at me! I'm Harry, and I can dance!" Zayn mocked. I laughed. "you okay?" Zayn asked. I looked down. I couldn't help the tears that came close to spilling over. Zayn's hand patted my back.

"Come one man., you gotta have more game!" I looked at him.

"Game? I have game dude!"

"Yeah, as much game as a cuddly puppy." I sighed.

"Don't let Harry steal you woman. I know what they're doing. They're trying to make you jealous." Well it's working. "Now we are gonna make her jealous."

"What? No"

"Yeah! Just do what I say." Zayn grabbed my hand and pulled to the dance floor. I could already tell this was gonna be a disaster.

Elise's POV

I was dancing with Harry and this random chick he had with him. I was having fun. But in the back of my mind I wanted Niall to see. I wanted him to see us dancing. I wanted him to come and dance with me. When I looked up, almost as if he was reading my mind, there he was with Zayn walking straight my way. They grabbed some random girls and started to dance. I suddenly felt uncomfortable. "Take over Control" came on and I danced even harder. "You okay?" Harry whispered in my ear. I didn't answer his question. Just keep dancing."Oh." I heard him mumble. I'm guessing he saw what Niall was doing. "My plan's sounding pretty good right now, huh?""NO!" I looked back up at Niall. He was kissing a girl. I finally stopped dancing and ran back to the VIP section. I had to play this cool, even though all I wanted to do is go home. I sat with head in my hands. I wasn't aware of the person next to me until he spoke. "You know I hate to see you sad." I looked up. "Well, Niall, tonight you're the reason for my sadness." He looked astonished."Why? What did I do?""Niall…I really like you a lot, and when I saw you kiss that girl I…I just couldn't cope.""Kiss a girl? I didn't kiss that girl! She kissed me. I make you sad!? How about you? You were dancing up on Harry!" My jaw dropped."Dancing on Harry? Who cares?! You were dancing on some random gir-""I love you, Elise""And then you do it with Zayn! Zay- What?" My heart was pounding and my tears stopped."I love you. I always have. It's been pretty hard hiding it, even though you have to admit I did it prett-" I cut him off with a kiss. It was just like I imagined it. Wonderful. When we pulled away he smiled his glorious smile."I've always wanted to do that to you." I giggled. "Me too.""So…does this mean…you can be my girlfriend now?" He asked blushing. I laughed then kissed him again."yes!" He grinned then kissed my nose. I laughed. "You're too perfect." 


	99. Chapter 99

I can't even think straight. I just want to go home, but it seemed like luck just wasn't on my side today. Every light I tried to make turned red. I turned right without even realizing where I was going. I just wanted to get away. It has been one week since Louis and I got into our biggest fight yet. We mutually decided to end things, and I couldn't handle it. I could feel this pain in my chest. A hole in my heart. I wouldn't even wish this pain on my worst enemy. I couldn't stop thinking about him. Most of my week was spent looking at the phone just hoping he would call. I needed to calm down. I slowly started to breathe. _In and out, in and out._ Slowly my brain was starting to relax. "Danielle" I remember he would, say poking my ribs. "Why are you so beautiful?" I'd blush grinning at the ground. "Because you make me beautiful, babe." I'd reply with a cheeky grin. He would sit there and look at me like I was the most beautiful person in the world. Whenever I was with him, I did feel like the most beautiful person in the world. The way he would entangle our fingers together then kiss my hand, or when he would kiss my forehead and whisper sweet things in my ear that made me feel loved. I missed that feeling.

I remember once we got into a really bad fight about him never taking anything seriously, and he walked out. He just stopped mid-sentence and left my apartment. Tears were still streaming down my cheeks when I heard a knock at the door thirty minutes later. When I opened it, he stood there with a rose in his hand, and the most apologetic look on his face. We stood silent in the cold night air looking at each other. "I'm sorry, babe." He whispered. His extended arm handed me the white rose, then he turned to leave. "Wait!" I yelled. He stopped and turned my way. In the dark I could barely make out a tear flowing down his face. "Why white?" I asked. He looked confused. "Why am I white?" I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, sorry. I suppose I'm not being very serious now am I, babe? What was your question?"

"I was wondering…why did you choose a white rose?" Most guys always gave girls red roses, maybe an occasional pink, but never white. A slight grin spread across his face. He was silent for a moment.

"Because it's the most unique and beautiful rose…just like you." Right when he said that, I wasn't so mad anymore. I just wanted to forget the whole entire fight and be in his arms. I ran straight down the stairs and into his arms. He embraced me tightly, nuzzling his face in the crook of my neck. 'I love you." He mumbled. I looked up at him astonished. Love? We had never told each other that before. "What?" I whispered pressing my forehead against his. "Never mind." He said letting me go. I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Did you just tell me you love me?" I could see him blush.

"Yeah, I did." I smiled at his cuteness.

"I love you too!" I said. He grinned hysterically wide then pressed his lips on mine in a warm, loving kiss. "Did I mention I love you? Because I do! I love you!" He said in-between kisses.

I smiled at that memory. The road I was driving seemed all too familiar. I just caught a glance at a familiar sign when I realized where I was headed. Louis' flat. I immediately stopped and pulled over. This was not happening! I need to turn around and go home. If he really cared he would call me and apologize. We are broken up. I sighed and leaned my head against the head rest. I couldn't hold back the tears any longer. I sat silently and uncontrollably sobbed. How could he be doing all of this to me? This one person. I realized I would have to be the bigger person. It takes two to run a relationship right? He couldn't always be the one to apologize. I started up my car and continued the rest of the way to his house. I needed a happy memory to get me by.

"You guys have been seeing each other a while." Zayn said starring at Louis and me. I blushed as Louis smiled at Zayn. We'd been dating for over a year now. "Yep! An eternity!" I giggled.

"So when's the wedding." Just when I thought Louis' smile couldn't get any bigger, it did. I blushed even more and hid my face in my hands. "I don't know. I was kinda hoping soon. Right babe?" He asked pulling me closer to him. I looked up at him and he winked. "Oh!" Zayn mocked. "You guys are so cute together."

As soon as Zayn left, Louis grabbed me by the waist and whispered. "So when _is_ our wedding?" I looked at him and saw the most handsome man ever. "You wanna marry me?" I asked. I never understood why me? Why did he love me? Their was so much more beautiful girls in this world, and he could have anyone he liked. So why me? "Oh course!" He said pulling me closer. He lips pressed softly to my neck. "I'm seriously convinced you're the one." I smiled then kissed his cheek. "Then hopefully soon, love?" I asked. He chuckled in my ear. "I hope so."

Here I am, standing in front of Louis' door. I contemplated knocking. Before I could, I carefully wiped away the tears from my cheeks. I didn't want him see that I had been crying. I didn't want him to see me a mess. A gust of cold air whipped across my face as I knocked on his door. Please don't be home. I secretly wished. I couldn't face him. But, again, luck just wasn't on my side today. The door opened and there in front of me was this…mess. Louis' hair was everywhere! But not in his is usual ,cute, untidy way. This was different a…mess. A horrible mess. His eyes were red and blood shot, he had a rough stubble, he was half naked with nothing but red, white and blue, star briefs on and socks. And I was afraid of him thinking I looked a mess? When he saw me his eyes lit. There was this spark that I missed about him. "Oh gosh.." He mumbled. "I'm so sorry I'm a mess."

"Its-"

"Come in?" He asked. I looked at my feet.

"Sure." I stepped inside. His house was just as bad as he was. There was an empty box of pizza on the floor. Along with many other things, such as: empty water bottles scattered everywhere, Blankets bawled up on the couch, crumbs on the floor, a picture of us, and a bag of carrots on the table. It looked as if a homeless person made a home on his couch. Maybe he was doing worse than I was. I watched as he moved the blankets and made space for me to sit. "Here." He said gesturing. I hesitantly sat down. "I'll be right back!" he said dashing off to his room. I sat and stared at the TV. He was watching a movie on LMN. I chuckled. He hated LMN.

A few minutes later he was back looking much better than before. He was fully dressed now. He maybe even washed up. Cutting the TV off, he looked at me. We didn't say anything. Just taking in each others presence was enough. "I missed you." he finally said. "I'm sorry." I mumbled, tears escaping my eyes now. He rushed over to me and wiped away my tears with his thumb. He smelt good. "I don't want this." I said. He stopped and looked into my eyes. My insides felt warm and my heart beat faster. "Me either." He looked away. "I thought I did….but I can't stand not being with you." I felt his hand on my waist now. "You think maybe we could…try again?" I smiled a faint smile. The first smile I smiled all week. "Gosh, I love to see you smile." He said grinning. I leaned my forehead against his. "I love to see you." He leaned in and kissed me and I felt myself again. The pain went right away. He was my medicine. I pulled away and looked at his floor. "So…you were quit a mess when I was gone, huh?" He blushed. "So you never answered my question, babe."

"What was your question?" I asked.

"Are we trying again?" I smiled.

"Yes!" He kissed me then pulled me into his lap.

"I love you!" He yelled. I laughed harder.

"I love you too!"

"Did I mention I love you? Because I do! I love you!" He said in-between kisses. Just like old times.


	100. Chapter 100

"We're finally alone!" Zayn growled in my ear from behind me. We had just got back to our hotel room from endless interviews and meetings. The whole time I could see the annoyance and anticipation in his eyes. I felt his arms snake around my waist, pulling me close. He softly pressed his lips to my shoulder making my skin tingle with gossebumps. He slowly moved his lips up to my ear then glided his hands down to my hips to turn me toward him. Before I could react he smashed his lips onto mine and pressed his pelvis closer to mine. A soft moan escaped his lips. I lightly pulled away but he pulled me back in. I laughed and whispered, "babe?" He buried his face in the crook of my neck. The roughness of the stubble on his chin tickled. He kissed my neck slowly before answering, "Yes?"

"What's wrong?" He glided his nose up my neck to my ear making my heart race and a cold shiver run down my spine. "I just wanna be close to you." He murmured. I giggled.

"Obviously."

"All day I couldn't touch or hold you in the slightest way because of stupid paparazzi. Now I get you all to myself." I was hesitant for a moment before answering, "Well maybe…if we told people about us…things could be different." He stiffened then released an aggravated sigh. "Boo, I thought we already talked about this?" I thought back to the last time we had this discussion. We yelled back in forth in disagreement. Zayn thought it would be best for us to keep our relationship on the down low because of all the hate I might get. I disagreed by inferring that I could handle whatever hate came my way and he should just worry about himself. It's been weeks later and I still couldn't get him to budge. "I know…but it would make things easier! Zayn, you could kiss me anytime you want! Think about it?" I said calmly. I didn't want any confrontation. I just wanted this to be easier. I was tired of sneaking around. But I knew the consequences that came along with being in this relationship. He took a slow breathe in. "I-I don't know."

"I know you want what's best, but Zayn…you're not the one who this is gonna be happening to the most."

"I know! I just don't wanna see the tears and hurt in your eyes when someone says you should go die because of me Max!" I was silent for moment.

"Fine." I mumbled. He placed his forehead on mine and looked into my eyes.

"Look…I know it's hard. I just really need you to understand that I couldn't stand to see this beautiful face in pain." he said grazing his hand across my cheek then placing it on my neck. "Especially because of me…" He trailed looking down. I kissed him softly. "Don't worry, babe. You won't" I was so naïve.

Two days later and here I was sitting on the hotel bed surfing Twitter. I had this momentous idea. I knew Zayn wouldn't approve. _Compose new tweet…._ I starred at those words for a good ten minutes before taking the first big step and pressing it, making the box appear bigger. I focused on the blinking cursor. I don't remember what came over me that second, but it was strong. My fingers started to type the fastest they could. _"Yes, the rumors are true. Zayn and I are a couple and I love him more than anything. He means the world to me!"_ Before I could think of the significance to my actions, I pressed tweet. Within seconds, it seemed, there was two-hundred replies. I quickly scanned thru them eagerly. _"You lying bitch!"_

" _Oh my gosh I knew it! You guys are cute together!"_

" _You're so ugly! Go DIE!"_ another read. I felt my phone vibrate and Zayn's solo in "Taken" ring loud.

"Hello?"

"What did you just do?" I heard a hushed angry voice.

"…I don't know what you're talking ab-"

"Cut the crap Max! You know exactly what I'm talking about! I thought we agreed-I thought I could trust you to just do this one thing! This one thing I asked you to do!"

"Zayn, babe, calm down! It's not that bad!" I looked at my screen another six-hundred tweets were stacked on. #ZaynandMax was a worldwide trending topic.

"Max! I'm looking at all of the things people are saying now! But that's not what I'm mad about! No! I'm mad that I had to find out thru paparazzi, _paparazzi,_ that you told everyone!" I took a deep breathe, filling my lungs with freezing air. "I'm sorry." I mumbled. "I'm sorry I let you down. I'm sorry for…what I did. It was a big mistake, but I regret nothing. Zayn, we don't have to hide anymore. Everything will be okay." I evenly reassured him. I heard faint voices on his end of the line then a sigh from him. "Look, I gotta go. We'll talk about this later. Love you." He hung up before I could reply. I bit my bottom lip and continued on reading tweets. There was ,honestly, more hate than love. Maybe Zayn was right.

After we discussed it, Zayn and I agreed to just go with the flow from here on out. Like we actually had a choice. Everywhere we went photographers, interviewers, and fans were there. Suffocating us with questions. The hate on Twitter, YouTube, and Tumblr was starting to get to me. It seemed like each day there was more and more. How many people wanted me to die? I smiled when Zayn was around and tried to stay away from social networking sites as much as possible but…who could resist? One night when Zayn left to talk to some fans downstairs, I ran across some pretty nasty things on the internet. People wanted me to kill myself. If I didn't they were willing to do it for me. There was a whole entire site dedicated to me. Hating me. When I looked in the mirror, all the things people said about me stood there in the mirror. Every negative thing, I saw. I couldn't help the overbearing pain that filled my heart. Soon the pressure began to be too much and I burst in to tears. I sobbed so hard that I shook and my phone clattered to the floor. Soon I was on the bathroom floor with my knees pulled up to my chest, and my face in my hands. "Babe!?" I heard Zayn asked confused. A fear in his voice I hated to hear. Warm arms pulled me close to his body. "What happened?" I couldn't answer. He must have saw my phone on the floor because he picked it up and scrolled thru everything I was reading. I felt his body congeal next to me as he whispered, 'Why?" He put my phone down and pulled me closer softly kissing my forehead. "Boo…you _know_ none of these things are true, right?" I sat silently. I didn't wanna think about it anymore. He turned me to face him. His face was sorrowful as a tear streamed down his cheek. "I told you-I-I never wanted to see you like this! I knew this would happen!" he picked up my phone and angrily chucked it. He looked me straight in the eyes and said, "You are the most beautiful person I've ever seen in my life! I know you think I'm just saying that, but I'm not. I'm serious. Everything about you is absolutely perfect. From your gorgeous hair to your toes. You deserve to be here just as much as anybody else does. You will always be perfect. Okay? I love you." He said kissing me. "I love you." he said again.

"I love you too." I said. He stood up then lifted me up off the floor and carried me to our bed. "Get some rest." He ordered as he laid down behind me and pulled me close. All that crying made me tired.

The next morning I woke up to an empty bed. No Zayn. I stared at the empty space and there was a note.

 _Baby,_

 _I love you more than anything. I need you to, first, remember that. The decision I made was not easy. It took all the strength in the world to do it. I know right now it may seem stupid, but it will help you. You will no longer be sad because of me and my career. I hope you find someone that can be with you all the time and kiss you in public without you having to fear for your life. You deserve it. You deserve nothing but_ _the best. That's why I've chosen to leave. We can no longer be together. I'm so, so sorry for all of the pain I've caused you. Please don't forget how much I love you and I'm only doing this for the best._

 _Zayn xx_

I gasped as a tear slid from my eye. I threw the note and quickly grabbed the hotel phone. I dialed Zayn's number as fast as I could. He didn't answer. I hung up and called Liam's phone.

"Hello?" He answered.

'Where's Zayn?" I asked impatiently. My voice was raspy and weak.

"Max are you okay?"

"Where the hell is Zayn? Let me talk to Zayn, Liam!" I yelled.

"Max…I can't- I can't let you do that."

"Why? Where is he?" I sobbed letting the phone slip out of my hands. I put my face in my ands and cried. This was all my fault! If only I listened to Zayn in the first place, this would have never happened. "MAX" I heard Liam yelling. I put the receiver up to my ear. And whispered, "Yes?"

"He wanted me to tell you…to watch his video." I was silent for a moment.

"What video?" He didn't answer he just hung up. I frantically grabbed my laptop from the bed-side table and later found that Zayn had a twit cam last night. I clicked play. In the video Zayn was sitting shirtless in a room. He looked miserable. He just sat and stared at the screen for a bit before he spoke.

" _Tonight I saw some of your messages to my love, Max. I was so…disappointed- No! disappointed doesn't even describe the way I'm feeling right now towards some of you. Because I saw some pretty nasty shit."_ He paused, bit his lip, then looked down. _" Telling someone to go and die and that they are worthless, stupid, and ugly isn't right. But what I don't understand is why? Why you would even think to send her something like that? Because we're together? Because you want me? Well you can't. I'm taken. If you were really my fans and you loved me like you said you did…you wouldn't do this to someone I love. Max is the most beautiful,_ _kindest person that I have ever known and I don't see why some of you are so cruel."_ he paused again, putting his face in his hands. _"This is all my fault."_ I could barely hear him mumble. He sat up straight and looked at the camera. _"Max, if you watch this…I love you SO much. I do. You mean more than the world to me and I'm sorry for what has been happening to you. I would do anything FOR this to stop."_ He stopped as if he just ran across this brilliant idea. _"Okay so you guys don't want Max and I together? Fine! Then we're not together anymore…just leave her alone! Do you feel better now? You got what you wanted."_ I saw a tear fall from his eye before the screen flashed black signaling the end of the video. I picked up the receiver and dialed Liam's number again. _Please answer!_

"Hello?"

"Liam…you have a girlfriend right? Do you love her?"

"…more than anything."

"So you understand that if she just went away one night and never came back…that you would be torn inside? That's what's happening to me! - I need to know where Zayn is. Would you please tell me?" He sighed.

"He's at the hotel. Room 37, floor 2."

"Thank you!" I said then hung up. I didn't even care what I was wearing. I didn't care I looked loathsome. I ran straight to the stairs and down to floor two.

When I got to Zayn's room I knocked on the door and he opened immediately. "Max…" he said.

"Zayn! Why did you leave?" He stood starring at me.

"I don't want you to hurt anymore."

"Babe, I hurt the most when you left. I felt like I needed you the most this morning…and you weren't there!" I said with tears rolling down my cheeks. He reached forward and pulled me close. "I love you!" He said.

"I love you too. Please come back. I-I need you more than ever right now." I pulled away and motioned at my clothes to make my point. "I'm atrocious right now." He seemed hesitant.

"I don't know…what about the people-"

"Who cares about them! Ignore the haters! We've got each other. We always did." He smirked. I stepped forward and pressed my lips on his. He pulled us both in and shut the door. His lips found their way to my neck and his hands to my waist. I pulled away. "First, you need to promise me that when times get rough…you will not leave me. You'll be here?" I said looking him dead in the eyes. He smiled.

"Till the end." He whispered.


	101. Chapter 101

"I'll be back soon." His low voice filled my ear. I felt his arms tighten around my waist. A voice boomed in the speakers overhead. The final call for Niall to leave. "I love you." The look in his eyes made my heart ache. The fact that he was leaving, made my stomach ache. "See you soon." He mumbled pressing his forehead to mine. I closed my eyes and let a tear fall. When I opened them he was gone. I was in my bed. Wiping away a stray tear from my cheek, I turned to face the empty space next to me. Two months away from Niall seem like eternity. I opened my laptop and went on Skype. He was offline. I sighed then shut my laptop. Soon my phone was ringing. "Hello." I answered trying my best to sound normal. Truth was, I wasn't even close. I felt as if I could never be the same without Niall. Which broke my promise -to -self: Never relay on a guy to make you happy.

"Hey, Princess." I heard Niall's cheerful, Irish voice on the other line. I immediately perked up.

"Hey!" I said.

"Well, I can't talk for long. I just got a little brake to rest my hand from signing. I really miss you." A smile crept across my face.

"I miss you too." I said. It was so noisy on his end. Lots of yelling.

"I can't believe it's only been a week! I feel like it's been months already. Hey! Why don't you come down to New York for the weekend? I could see you a little more often." I replied with slight hesitation in my voice, "I don't know, Niall. Tickets are quiet expensive and I don't wanna take your focus off work…."

"No! you won't, babe! Just fly down. I'll send you a ticket first thing after the signing! I really can't wait to see you! I'll have a big surprise waiting." I heard voices in the background calling his name.

"Niall…you don't have t-"

"Ah! That's my Alexis, always being so modest. don't worry about it. You just pack and call me before you leave and when you land! Gotta go now! Love you so much, bye!"

"By-" He hung up before I could get my reply out. As soon as the conversation was over my mood was back down again.

After speaking with Niall for some time, over Skype, we scheduled a weekend for me to come down to New York. Before I could protest about the cost, timing, and work, Niall had already announced he brought the tickets and was sending them over. I groaned involuntarily. I knew I shouldn't be so bitchy about the subject of him buying me things, but I really didn't like boyfriends buying anything for me. Well, at least not expensive things. Niall was my only exception.

 **Niall's POV**

Once Alexis fell asleep, I whispered goodnight and ended the call. Closing the laptop, I turned to Zayn, who was on the other bed. He glanced at me. "What's wrong?" I was silent for a moment. Talking to Alexis only made me wanna be with her more. I never wanted not to be on tour so badly. I wish I was at home cuddling with her. "You miss her don't you?" I sighed.

"Yeah dude."

'Well when she comes here you should do something special. Show her how much you missed her." he winked.

"What exactly are you implying?' I asked. An eyebrow raised as a grin spread across his face.

"I don't know." He chuckled. I glared at him.

"Look, all I'm saying is that you guys have been in a relationship for almost two years! If you were a girl, what would you want your boyfriend to do?" Zayn had a point. And that's when it hit me.

 **Alexis' POV**

When I arrived at the hotel in New York, I was tired. I jus wanted to see Niall and snuggle. I slid the card into the door and opened it to reveal tons of rose petals scattered on the floor. The lights were dim and the room smelled of a sweet scent. I stepped in and closed the door. My mouth was gaped open in a wide smile. I walked over to the bed to see a note next to a bathrobe across the bed. I picked up the note. It read.

 _I bet you're tired. That's why your Nialler made you a bubble bath! But before you enjoy that bath, put on the bathrobe and head to the bathroom. You'll find one of my favorite things. Don't worry it's also your favorite._

 _Love you!_

I dropped the note, stripped down and put on the bathrobe. As I silently walked to the bathroom, my heart beat faster as I saw the door was already cracked. When I pushed the door open Niall was standing with a tray of chocolate covered strawberries. He had a huge smile plastered on his face. He was shirtless with a bow tie around his neck. ON the tray was another note.

 _Food! My favorite! Chocolate covered strawberries is yours. Great, now you only have one more thing to do before you get that hot bubble bath. Kiss me, Princess!_

I laughed. "Well?" he said puckering his lips. I laughed harder then leaned in and crushed my lips on his. He put the tray aside, then quickly pulled me close. "I missed you." he mumbled in-between kisses down my neck. The feeling brought back a sudden nostalgia from before he left. As his kisses grew for fervent my heart raced faster. He quickly untied the knot in front of my bathrobe and a sudden insecure feeling rushed through me as he dropped it to the floor. "I thought it was impossible!" he whispered.

"What?" I asked.

"For anyone to be this beautiful." I smiled as he picked me up and gently put me in the bubbly, warm water.

"Strawberry?" He asked. I nodded and he fed it to me. I watched him as he stared at the plate. I giggled.

"I know _you_ want one."

"You're right." he said grinning. He leaned in and kissed me softly then ate a strawberry. He made a contemplative face.

"What?" I asked.

"I like you better." I giggled.

That night Niall and I cuddled. Just his arms around me made me forget the loneliness I was feeling only two hours ago on the plane. With him I was happy and I wanted it to stay this way forever. Even though I did promise: Never relay on a guy to make you happy, Niall was my only exception.


	102. Chapter 102

"I love you more." Zayn whispered. I looked over at him talking to his girlfriend on the phone. He had a tiny smile on his face while kicking the ground with the soles of his shoes. He just got back from touring in America and decided to visit me. "Bye." He hung up the phone then walked over toward me. "Sorry bout that. Just had to tell Stefanie goodnight. " I smiled weakly. "It's okay." I mumbled. I've always had a crush on Zayn. I even told him once. We went out for five months then broke up because he had to go on tour. Apparently, he met someone else on tour and has been dating her for three months now. Honestly, it broke my heart. I really loved Zayn. He told me he loved me, yet he breaks up with me then gets with somebody else less than two weeks later. I'm sorta amused at how love works for Zayn. I should hate him…but I don't. I love him. I told him we'd be the best of friends…but I can't handle him talking to his girlfriend like he used to talk to me. This was happening all too soon. "You okay?" he asked. I looked at his handsome face and fought with all my heart to hold back the tears. I forced down the lump in my throat and answered, "yeah…juts tired."

"Oh, well I should let you get some rest. It was really amazing seeing you again, Brittany. I'm happy we could still be friends." He hugged me then kissed my forehead. "Bye." He said walking toward my door. I waved as he looked back before stepping out into the cool night air. I swiftly ran toward my door to lock it. As soon as that lock clicked the tears started to flow down my cheeks. I cried so hard I didn't make any noises. Screw Zayn for making me feel this way and thinking it's okay. Screw him for being so god damn perfect. I sat on my cold wood floor and cried over someone I couldn't have.

The next week went by pretty quickly. It went a little something like this: Zayn comes over in the afternoon talks about his relationship with his girlfriend, life with the boys, and family, asks me how I feel, then leaves. Then one day it wasn't the same anymore. It was a quiet Saturday afternoon when I heard a hard knock at my door. I slowly walked to it then opened it. Cue Zayn's crazy girlfriend, Stefanie. "Hi-" I started confused.

"Why has Zayn been here so much?" Stefanie asked. Her arms were tightly crossed across her chest. Stefanie was tall and had dark brown flowing hair. Her style was always up to date and her voice was smooth. She had several tattoos covering her arms. Curves took over her body in a graceful yet sexy way.

"Because I'm his best friend. What is he supposed to do? Ignore me?"

"So? I have best friends and we don't spend this much time together." I glanced at her. Then raised an eyebrow. "Well you and your friends are not Zayn and me." She huffed.

"Look, I know about you and Zayn. I know you guys used to date or were in love or whatever, but that's over. I talked to him and he only loves me. Now just stay away. Okay?" She said slowly. I looked at her, She talked to him? He said that he doesn't love me? I don't think so. I would only believe this if I heard it come from Zayn's mouth. "Fine, I won't see him anymore…but only if he agrees."

"Fine." She mumbled pulling out her phone from her extremely tight jeans. She dialed his number then put it on speaker.

"Hello?" I heard Zayn's smooth voice answer.

"Hey baby! You don't love Brittney anymore do you?" She asked. It was silent for a moment before Zayn answered, "Boo, we already talked about this. We are friends. I'm sleeping with her! I promise!"

"That's not what I asked you, Zayn. You don't love her anymore _do_ you?"

"Stef, of course I love her she's my best friend. I couldn't live without her." A smirk appeared on my face as I hit the end button.

"Guess we're still gonna be friends then eh? I said grinning like a fool. "Goodbye." I grabbed her arm and walked her toward the door. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out." I slammed the door behind her. My heart was beating incredibly fast. I can't believe I just kicked Zayn's girlfriend out of my house.

That night I was sitting on my couch watching SNL when I heard a low knock at the door. At first I wasn't even sure I heard a knock until it happened again, but louder this time. I walked to my door with a blanket wrapped around my shoulders. When I opened the door Zayn was standing there with his hands shoved in his pockets. "We need to talk." he said. I silently moved aside to let him in.

"What's up?" I asked flopping down on my couch. I propped my bare feet on the cool leather as Zayn sat across from me. He picked up the remote and flicked the TV off. I furrowed my eyebrows at him then huffed. A loud silence filled the room and if right on cue, crickets chirped loudly outside.

"I wanna ask you how you feel." I blankly looked at him.

"You came all the way over here at 11:30 at night to ask me how I feel? Zayn, are you drunk?" He leaned his head back on my black leather couch and sighed starring at the ceiling. "I mean" the words slowly left his mouth as he tiled his head toward me. "How do you feel about _us_? I never really asked you if you were okay after the breakup. Now I wanna know."

"Now you wanna know how I feel? You can't be serious!" I shifted so I was really facing him, making sure he saw the hurt and anger in my eyes. He never really did ask me how I was after the breakup. I figured he didn't care. Now here he was sitting on my couch in the middle of the night asking if I was okay.

"I'm sorry." he mumbled.

"Okay! You wanna know how I feel. I feel like shit. I don't even get it! How could you just tell me you love me one day, then leave me the next week!"

"I had tour! You know that!"

"Yeah, I understand, Zayn! But like two weeks later you got someone new! You _replaced_ me. Do you have any idea how that made me feel? You kept telling me I was the one and you were so happy, then you just got rid of me!" I felt cool streams of tears falling down my face. "You know, you think you're so god damn mysterious and cool! You're just a coward. You're afraid of how you feel. Being in love scares you to death, doesn't it? You didn't end our relationship because you had to tour, you ended t because you were actually falling for me, and that scared you!"

"Really?" He asked with a annoyed look on his face. "That's what you think? I was just scared and left you?" He let out a chuckle. "Did you even think to ask me how I felt about this whole thing?" I rolled my eyes. "Okay, how do you feel about this whole thing?" I asked aggravated.

"Hurt, babe. I didn't want to leave you. I just-I felt that you could find someone better than me. Yes, I love you. Yes, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but I just can't. I can't hurt you like that."

"Zayn, what are you talking about? _hurt_ me?"

"I would never be here if I was with you, I would constantly be surrounded by girls, and no one could ever find out about us. You mean too much to me to lose, Brittany."

"But…why?"

"I don't know. It's just…this one thing. You've got this one thing I love the most…and I can't put my finger on it." I smiled and wiped a few stray tears from my face.

"Can we start again?" He asked leaning forward. My eyes widened in surprise, but my heart yearned for him.

"But you're girlfriend…" I started.

"I broke up with her." I couldn't help the smile that widened on my face at the thought of Zayn not being with Stefanie. I felt his soft, familiar lips on mine within seconds. My heart began to beat faster as I felt his large hands push my shoulder back to lie flat back while he laid on top of me. His lips wondered to my cheek then down my neck, slowly; making my mind clouded. The feel of his rough hands brushing against the bare skin under my shirt,-on my waist- sent shivers down my spine. He smirked into my neck before giving it a light nibble then gently kissing my lips. "I really do want to spend the rest of my life with you, Brittany." He whispered in my ear, making my heart soar with happiness. That's the one thing I wanted to hear.


	103. Chapter 103

"She-she's not right for you." I mumbled looking at the pavement. "What?" Niall asked. My eyes shot wide and I looked at him. He wasn't supposed to hear that. He was plastered with confusion. I could feel my heart beat faster and my breathing become rugged. I didn't mean to say that about Niall's friend…that was a girl.. She was so sweet and beautiful. She had everything any guy would like, I guess. There was just something about her that didn't…go well with Niall. Here he was talking about her like she was the best thing ever. "I said…I think…I lost a shoe." I chuckled. "No you didn't. What did you really say?"

"Niall…" I started.

"Please tell me, Princess." Niall has been calling me princess forever, but I still blush when he says it.

"I just don't think that…she's the one for you." I mumbled. The look on Niall's face made me wish I never said those words. His eyes watered and his smiled drooped.

"Why is that?" he asked.

"Because….shit." I mumbled. My palms started to sweat. "Nothing! Just nothing!" I said. I stood up and started to walk away. I couldn't do this right now.

"Kat! What the hell! Where are you going?" I heard Niall yell from behind me. I didn't stop. Suddenly a hand was on my shoulder and pulling me back around. "Katee, explain." I cringed at my name. I hated being called Katee. I got butterflies in my stomach. Suddenly everything around me became a blur and all that was visible was Niall. Deep in my heart, I just wanted all of this to be over with. I wanted to be with Niall. I wanted him to hold my hand, hug me, tell me he loved me, and talk nonstop about me to all of his friends. There seemed to be this indescribable feeling I get when I'm around him. I had to tell him how I feel now, or else I never will. "Niall…"

"Kat, why are you acting like this?" He asked.

"I really like you, Niall. I want nothing more than for you to just…be proud of me. I want you to love me."

"I do love you!" I let out a nervous sigh. Here I was about to tell Niall everything I felt for him.

"I mean…love, love. Like I want to hold your hand and kiss you. The every time I wake up in the morning, you're the first thing on my mind type of love." Niall's mouth gaped open a I tried to catch my breathe.

"Kat…I don't know what to say."

"Of course you don't…" I mumbled. It was quiet for a while. Just the sound of the fan whirring back and forth an us breathing. I looked into Niall's eyes. "You know you just made me hella confused, right?" He said. I blushed then looked at my feet. "I should go." I said.

"Don't." He said. Before I knew it, soft lips were on mine and my heart was malfunctioning. Niall's warm breath lingered above my lips, our noses barely grazed each others. I had no time to be confused about what just happened. For once something was going my way, and I was enjoying it. Before I could catch myself, Niall's lips were back on mine again, but with much more longing and passion. This time he seemed more confident with what he was doing, and so did I. Soon his tongue grazed my bottom lip and I couldn't help but gasp in surprise. "Sorry." He mumbled blushing. I laughed. He looked at me confused, but later gave in and started laughing with me. After our laughing fit calmed I asked him, "What are we doing, Niall?" He looked at me confused. "Um...laughing." I giggled.

"No…I mean, why are we kissing?"

"Because I like you? I don't know what you're asking me, babe." My stomach fluttered when he called me that.

"I'm asking are we official? Am I your girlfriend?" He thought for a moment. I was becoming nervous when he finally answered, "Of course!" I laughed then hugged him tightly. I laughed even harder when he lifted me from the ground. Everything was perfect.


	104. Chapter 104

_Beep, beep, beep._

Danielle's heart monitor beeped as I slowly made my way toward her bed. I could barely make out her face through my blurred vision. Oddly, I didn't want to. I didn't want to see the bandages, scars, and bruises that I knew would be covering her precise physique. Her breathing was loud and rugged, like it would stop any moment now. My eyes welled with more tears even thinking that thought. A horribly wretched tingle lurked in my stomach. I grabbed her hand and carefully brought it to my face, falling to my knees. I gathered the courage to wipe away the tears and look at her. She looked so fragile. Danielle's eyes were closed and her cheeks were swollen. She hardly looked like herself at all, but she was still breathtakingly beautiful, non the less. I sniffled then pressed my lips to her hand, placing sweet, gently kisses on it. "I'm sorry." I couldn't help but mumble. "This is all my fault. If I didn't start that stupid fight; if I would have just washed dishes like you asked me to, maybe you wouldn't have gotten into a crash." My heart literally felt like someone was taking a stab at it. The pain and guilt I felt was unbearable. If anything happened to Danielle; if she, God forbid, died, I wouldn't be able to cope. I couldn't live. I pressed my eyes shut and let out a quiet sob. I couldn't stop myself from thinking about the moment I got that call.

" _Hello?" I huffed into the phone not bothering to look at the caller I.D. It was probably my wife, Danielle. It had been a good forty-five minutes since she stormed out. I know I should have I chased after her, but I just needed some time to cool off. She had completely over-reacted about me not washing the dishes because she felt sick. She yelled I was too into the game all the time. How I wasn't being a great husband. Lately, she had been overreacting and stressing about_ _ **everything**_ _. She was really starting to change after only two months of married life. "Mr. Niall Horan?" A rough male voice rasped in my ear. Immediately my stomach dropped. Something was wrong. "Yes?" My voice came out more meagerly than intended. " My name is Officer Garment. This is a call informing you that your wife has been badly injured in and car accident, hit and run to be exact. She is in critical condition, and is being treated at the St. James Hospital." My heart beat increased with every word he said. My brain couldn't register what was going on. "What?"_

" _I'm sorry, son." The man said slowly. A forced sympathy was in his voice. Almost as if he wanted to be sympathetic but saw this too many times to actually feel it any more. Like he blocked out the pain and hurt he enumerated in each call to a stranger that was receiving such horrible news. "Danielle… in a car accident? Critical condition? No!" I flailed jumping to grab my keys. This had to be a joke. This couldn't be happening! The whole way to hospital was agonizingly long. My mind raced with horrible thoughts and scenarios. Guilt flushed through me._

 _As I made my way to the ICU reception desk my heart pounded in my ears. My face was probably red and streaked with tears. The lady pointed me to Danielle's room after I gave her my information. She told me a doctor should arrive soon to discus Daniel's condition with me. I couldn't have ran faster to the room._

My head jerked toward the door when I heard a slight knock. The door slowly creaked open revealing ,what appeared to be, the doctor. I stared at her as she sauntered toward me. Standing to take her hand in a brief handshake, I quickly asked, "Is she okay?" I mentally slapped myself for this asking her that. Of course Danielle wasn't okay. The doctor didn't seem to mind my question though. Giving me a slight smile, she looked at her clipboard and replied, "Well, her left leg is fractured, she has two broken ribs, one resulting in a punctured lung, and she seems to have a concussion."

"Is she gonna d-die?"

"No, Mr. Horan. You're wife should be just fine. With strenuous physical therapy and rest, she should be back to her old self in no time." I glanced at her name tag. Dr. Debra Waters was her name.

"Thank you so much, Debra!" I said.

"No problem. It's what I do, but I'm so sorry for you lost." My eyes widened. My lost? What lost? She just said Danielle was going to be fine!

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"The miscarriage. When we brought your wife in we discovered she was six weeks pregnant. We, unfortunately, couldn't save the baby." My heart raced. Danielle never told me she was pregnant. Suddenly it all made sense! The morning sickness and her being so jittery and nervous lately. I unexpectedly broke down. I cried so hard my shoulders shook and it became hard to breathe. Why was this happening to me?

"I'm so sorry…" Dr. Waters began.

"I never knew…" I said in between sobs. A tiny hand caressed my shoulder softly.

"It's okay." She mumbled. Suddenly Danielle's monitor started rapidly beeping. The doctor and I both jolted our heads toward the bed. Danielle's body was jerking up and down, saliva oozed from the side of her mouth, her teeth were clenched together , and she made loud noises of discomfort. I could see veins trailing down her neck as her face turned blue. The sight of my wife having a seizure was horrifying. Dr Waters ran straight toward her but I shuddered and turned away. I blocked out all of my surroundings. I couldn't watch.

In the waiting room everything was freezing. The loud silence filled my ears. It had been four hours since Danielle's seizure, and all I had was time on my hands. I wanted to escape my thoughts. They were nothing but terrifying. I just wanted Danielle with me. I want her in my arms right now, giggling. I want to hear her voice. Then there was my baby. Why had she never told me? I wouldn't have been upset. I wonder if it was a boy or girl. Whatever it was I bet it would have been beautiful. It would have it's mothers gorgeous eyes, my nose, and her smile. The door opened, interrupting my thoughts, and the doctor walked in.

"If you want…you can see her." She said stepping aside for me to walk into the hall.

Danielle was asleep. It seemed like tons of tubes and monitors were hooked into her. "I'll give you some time." Dr. Waters announced then left. "I'm so sorry." I mumbled. My face had to be permanently tear streaked. "I should have never let you go."

" _Niall, babe!" Danielle said. A serious tone was set to her voice. I looked up at her. "Yeah." She looked so worried. There was something lurking in her eyes. Fear? I moved over on the couch so she could sit down. "I-I…" She started. "how do you feel about kids?"_

" _They're okay babe. What's wrong?" I wrapped my arm protectively around her._

" _Yeah...I just…" She was shaking. I watched as she turned a deep red and took slow breathes in and out._

" _You okay?" I asked again, seriously concerned._

" _I'm fine…I think I have a fever. I'm just gonna…take a nap." She mumbled standing up and striding out of the room._

"Princess, please don't leave me!" I cried into her hand. "I need you more than _anything_ else in this world! Please hold on! Fucking open your eyes! Please! _Please_!" I cried louder. I heard a faint mumble. My head snapped up to look at her. She slowly moved her toward me.

"Niall?" I could barely make out.

"Danielle?"

"Niall, I'm sorry." She said then winced.

"It's not your fault. None of this is your fault. Are you pain? Do you want a nurse?" she nodded. I smiled while buzzing for a nurse, all too happy to have her awake.

Within three days Danielle was able to sit up and talk normally again. She was healing surpass the doctor's expectations. "Why…didn't you tell me you were pregnant?" I asked feeding Danielle some apple sauce. She stopped swallowing and looked at me. "You know? How do you know?"

"It died." I said tears swelling in my eyes. Danielle broke into tears, which was the last thing I wanted. I carefully caressed her back. "I thought-I thought you would be angry." She said in-between cries.

"Why would I be angry?"

"I don't know!" She said calming down.

"Baby, you know that I will always love you! I would never be mad if we had a baby!"

"Niall?" She said looking down.

"Yes?"

"I love you. I can't wait until I'm out of here."

"Me either."

"When I am…we can try again. Maybe for a girl?" She laughed.

"Boy."

"Girl!" She said playfully hitting my arm.

"Fine! Whatever you want, princess."

It has been two years now since the accident. They never found out who hit Danielle. Five months later we found out Danielle was pregnant again, and we now have a beautiful baby girl. She is so beautiful. She has her mother's eyes, my nose, and her mothers smile. It took me almost losing my wife to realize how much I truly loved her. Now whenever she asks me to wash the dishes, I don't hesitate.


	105. Chapter 105

"Let's just lie in bed _all_ day." I said smiling wide at my boyfriend. He rolled over and stared at me hysterically. "Why?" He whined.

"Fine. What do you wanna do?" I asked.

"I don't know. What do _you_ wanna do?" He mocked. I rolled my eyes.

"Lie in bed." He placed a sweet kiss on my temple.

"If that's what you wanna do, princess."

"It is." I stated aggravated. Niall grabbed my hand and entwined our fingers. It was silent for a moment.

"So we just lie here?" He asked chuckling.

"Yes, and cuddle." I scooted closer to him then wrapped my arms around his torso. I gave him a tight squeeze. "You're like a teddy bear." I giggled. Outside the rain was poring. The smell of fresh rain blew in from the windows, blowing the curtains up in the wind. I felt Niall's rough guitar hands caress my waist under my tank top. I matted our legs together and pushed my hips closer to his, leaving no space between us. When I laid my head on his chest I heard his heartbeat beating out of control. Hot breathe lashed across my ear as he whispered, "Kiss me." with his deep Irish accent. Tilting my head up, I placed delicate kisses up his neck, making sure to stop at his soft spot, then kissed along his jaw line to his lips. When I got there I hovered above them. "You're so gorgeous." He mumbled before crashing his lips on mine. They fit together perfectly. Moving naturally in time with each other. He traced his hand slowly up my thigh while I placed my hands flat on his chest. His tongue traced the outline of my lower lip and I giggled. The loud sound of lighting nearly made me jump out of my skin. He laughed when I screamed in terror. Playfully hitting his chest, I yelled, "It's not funny!" That only seemed to make him laugh harder. I loved when Niall laughed. There was something so special about it. The way he would tilt his head back and open his mouth wide was amusing to me, yet also adorable. His laughing soon faded to chuckling. He shook his head ,smiling, then pulled me into his arms. I felt his head nestle into the crook of my neck. He softly kissed it. "Lissie, I have to tell you something important." His voice was slightly muffled.

"Yes?"

"I leave for tour again." My heart dropped at his words. The knot in my throat started to grow and my eyes watered. I knew that he was eventually going to have to leave again. I was just hoping it wasn't soon.

"When?" I asked trying my hardest not to sound like I was about to cry. He gently kissed my neck again before answering, "In four days." I slowly closed my eyes and was thankful Niall couldn't see my face. I didn't want him to see my crying. Four days. Four days was all I had with him until he left for another five months. I loved One Direction. I loved that he was living out his dream every day. I just hated that he had to leave. I hated that we were always followed and mobbed. And I hated having our business spread out for everyone to see on the internet, along with rumors. Just for a split second my life was feeling normal, but once he said those words the normalization left.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled after some time of silence. I half smiled at his adorableness. He actually believed this was his fault. I slowly caressed his back.

"It's not your fault, baby." I mumbled. "You can't help it."

"I wish I could. I love you so much and I don't wanna leave you again. I wish I could just pack you in my suitcase and carry you along with me." I laughed through my tears. I could feel him smile into my neck.

"I love to hear you laugh. That's one of the things I'm gonna miss the most when I'm gone."

"I'm gonna miss everything about you, babe." I said. Niall started humorously humming "Everything About You" by his all- too-amazing boy band, One Direction. I playfully nudged him.

"God, I love you!" I said laughing.

"I love you, I do!" He cooed.

 **Niall's P.O.V**

As the rain spattered on the pavement outside, and blew in a cool breeze, I held Lissie in my arms as she quietly slept. Starring down at her beautiful face, I caressed her cheek. She was so beautiful. She seemed so peaceful in her sleep. That's just it. I couldn't leave her. Five months without my princess is like five months without music ,or even worse, food! It's just _impossible_. I wish I could bring her with me but management would never let me. It's moments like this where I wish I wasn't famous. I jumped a little, shaken out of my thoughts, as she stirred and mumbled my name. An involuntary smile spread across my lips at the mention of my name in her sleep. Somehow that made me ecstatic; just really happy she was dreaming about me. God, I hope it isn't a nightmare. I only wanted her to have sweet dreams.

 **The Day of Niall's Departure**

Today Niall's leaving. It breaks my heart to the core to see him pack and get ready to leave me for five months. As I watched him stuff clothes and what-not in his suitcase, I pleaded with my heart to stop hurting, my eyes to be strong and not shed tears, and my body not to jump on him to keep him from leaving. I didn't wanna make this any more painful for him than it already was. When that dreadful moment came for him to actually leave, I gave in. I broke down. Niall gave me a tight hug while stroking my hair.

"I'm really gonna miss you." He said. His voice was shaky as he tried to hold back tears.

"Me too." I tried to say but was muffled by my sobs. The loud honking of Niall's ride made me grip him tighter.

"I love you, baby. Soooooooo much" He said kissing me passionately. His hands cupped my face. I pressed closer to him; taking in his presence one last time before he left for good. The smell of his cologne was strong , his hands were rough, his skin-soft, and his body warm. He pulled apart after another honk sounded through the air. "Well…see you soon?" He asked obviously not wanting to say "goodbye". I nodded.

"Love you!" I managed before he walked out the door.

"Oh yeah, check the note on me side of the bed!" He yelled before I heard the door slam. I ran to the bed and grabbed the note. It read:

 _I'll be counting the days till I get to spend another rainy day in bed with you, princess._

 _Love,_

 _Niall xx_

I smiled then gripped the note tighter. I'll be counting too.


	106. Chapter 106

"Babe, what's this?" I heard Louis call from the bedroom. I turned and saw him walking in with a pink folded paper turning in his finger tips. My eyes widened. I quickly tried to snatch it, but it was too late. He extended his hand with the paper above his head. "Give it to me!" I yelled as Louis unfolded it. He read it with a smirk on his face as I jumped, attempting to free my paper. But Louis was a good deal taller than me, which made this whole 'jump to free my paper' thing really hard. "Skinny dipping, kiss in the rain, photo-bomb someone's photo! What the hell _is_ this?" Louis laughed. I was still jumping. Trying my best to grab my personal belonging. "Louis!" I said my hands on my hips.. I gave him a stern look which quickly turned into a giggle. I sucked at being serious. "Okay, seriously, give it here. Gosh, for an adult, you're such a kid!" He rolled his eyes then said, "Then you'll explain?" I nodded. He handed me the paper.

"This," I said holding the paper out "is my bucket list." Louis' eyes mounted to the roof in confusion.

"Your what?"

"My bucket list. Things I wanna do before I die, dear." I stated giggling.

"So skinny dipping?" He asked wiggling his eyebrows. I blushed.

"Just something…I've always wanted to do. You know? Because twenty years from now I don't wanna look back and have accomplished nothing I wanted to do. So I made a bucket list. When I finish something I put a check in the box and move on." Louis jerked his head, moving his hair from his eyes.

"What if I told you we can do everything on that list in one weekend?" He asked leaning on the counter. Smirking.

"I would say 'you're crazy, Louis'" He gently took the list from my hand.

"It's not impossible. Skinny dipping, kiss in the rain, photo bomb someone's photo, sneak into pool, and find the end of a rainbow . This can be arranged. Sounds like fun! Lets start now!"

"Louis…" I started.

"What?" He asked looking at me. He didn't seem the least bit concerned. My eyes darted to the floor. Soon his arms found their way around my waist. I felt him kiss my forehead.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"We can't do some of these things…" He kissed my cheek this time.

"We can."

"We can't"

"Wanna bet?" He asked smiling his beautiful smile. "We can do it. Come on?"

"You sure?" I asked.

"Just call me crazy." He said before placing a sweet kiss on my lips.

 **Day One**

I woke up to a bouncing Louis. He was fully dressed and hovering over me. "Babe?" He whispered. I arched my back to stretch, pressing my body against his. "What?" I asked completely knackered.

"Get up!" He whispered in his attractive accent. I glanced at the clock on the side dresser. It was 2:32. I groaned. "No!" I said.

"Get up!" He said again. This time he bounced on the bed a little.

"Stop." I whined.

"Get up, baby." He said sweetly pressing his lips to the crook of my neck.

"Why?"

"Because we're doing something from your bucket list."

"Louis, no offense, but give that up. We're not doing that. It was just a dream. An idea. It's never gonna happen. Now let me sleep."

"I'm trying to make it happen, but you won't give me a break. Now get the hell up." He completely flopped down on me and roughly kissed my neck and collar bone. "Stop!" I giggled.

"Get up!" I cupped his face in my hands and his slight stubble pricked my fingers. Even through the darkness of early morning, I could still catch a hold of his gorgeous eyes. We stared into each other for a moment before I set a kiss on his pink lips.

"Fine." I mumbled.

"Yay!" He yelled.

Louis had me dressed in a bathing suit, which led me to believe we were going skinny dipping first. I don't know why he seemed so fond of that idea. It simply bothered me if anything. Even though Louis was my boyfriend of seven months and has seen my body before. I just couldn't help but feel insecure or ashamed of revealing my self in front of him.

When we arrived at the pool, the doors were locked. Of course. "Well looks like we're locked out. Lets go home." I said anxiously turning around.

"Not just yet." Louis uttered grabbing my arm. He put his hand on his chin as if he were in deep thought. He then dragged me around the building. We squeezed in-between a brick wall that hid a gate from the parking lot. Behind the gate revealed a pool. Shimmering in the pool light, the water shone a light blue. "Problem solved. We just have to hop the fence. See, I know what I'm doing, pretty lady." I laughed.

"Babe, I'm not hoping this fence."

"Um…yes you are." He said pulling me forward. "I want to see you succeed. I want to see you accomplished in life."

"So accomplished in life just equals hoping a pool fence?"

"Exactly." He nodded his head once. "Look I'll go first, you know, just to prove it's nothing, then you follow." As Louis climbed the fence, I noticed a sign on the end. It read:

 _No trespassing. Violators will be caught, fined, or possible sentenced to jail_

"Babe!" I whispered loudly at Louis while looking cautiously behind my shoulder.

"What?" He asked loudly. I shh-ed him. When I looked up, one of his legs were dangling on one half of the fence while the other was propped on middle part so he was balancing.

"Don't sssh me!" He said louder. I rolled me eyes.

"Get down! We could go to jail for this."

"I know! You should've thought about that before A.) I climbed up here and B.) you put it on your bucket list."

"Well I change me mind" I heard a loud thump as Louis landed on his feet on the other side of the fence.

"Too late." He said grinning. I sighed loudly. "Look, just climb the fence. No police officer is going to be guarding a pool at 2 in the morning. Period. I could seriously yell as loud as I wanted…and not get caught. See!" He yelled. My eyes widened. What if there was cops around here? We could seriously get in trouble. I looked at Louis, who was looking at the side of me, eyes wide.

"I'm so sorry, sir!" He said. My heart was beating faster. Then he laughed. "You fell for that?" He laughed. I rolled my eyes at his immaturity that I usually loved. Just not right now. "Get over the fence." he smiled.

When I finally made it over the fence, Louis and I stood at the waters edge. "Well." He said. "start undressing." I stopped breathing for a second. My heart started to pound. My stomach got this queasy feeling. Were we seriously about to do this? In my peripheral vision, I could see Louis unzipping his shorts and pulling them down revealing his grey boxers. I loved how he was always so optimistic to try new things. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breathe. Then I felt Louis' fingers entwine with mine. "Don't be scared." he whispered. "No one's here. It's just us." I opened my eyes then looked at his gentle face. In that moment I felt this pump in my heart for Louis. Everyday I always found a new reason to love him more, but it was right now ,in this moment, that I had never felt so much love for one person, than for Louis.

"Turn around." I said blushing. He grinned then turned. I turned away from him also. Carefully, I removed all of my clothing. I felt bare and exposed. "Ready?" I asked my voice shaking. I crossed my arms over my chest.

"As ever." he replied. I turned and tried to keep my eyes on his, but couldn't stop them from trailing down his toned torso. I bit my lower lip then looked into his eyes. He was smiling.

"Not that I'm looking….but your body is beautiful. BUT I'M NOT LOOKING!" He blurted. I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Lets just get in the water." Before I knew it, Louis was already in the water, splashing around. "Come in!" He said. I took one more deep breathe then jumped in. The water was the definition of freezing. I could feel the cold rush through me. It was almost exhilarating. I winced when my head came out of the water. "Cold. Cold. Cold!" I yelled. I heard Louis laugh. When I swam to the other side of the pool, I felt Louis hands around my wrist.

'Well…how does it feel?"

"How does what feel?" I asked shivering.

"To have completed something from your bucket list?" I closed my eyes and soaked in the moment for a second. "Freaking awesome." I said.

"Great! Two down, three more to go."

It was twelve o' clock in the afternoon and I was lounging on the sofa when Louis stormed in. "Let's go!" He yelled. I huffed. I was tired. Being up from two in the morning _certainly_ wasn't making the rest of my day go so great. "Why?" I whined. "What else can we possibly do today?" He had two Obama masks' in his hands. "Photo bomb."

"Where are we going?" I asked as we walked down the crowded street.

"Horse Guards Ave." he answered not once slowing his pace.

"Why," I asked. "do we have to do this now?" I mumbled my "sorry"' to people I bumped into trying to race closer to Louis.

"Because it's lunch. Soon everyone will be gone in for low tea. Now, at lunch time, is one of the most busiest time of day. Tourist come to _Horse Guards_ to take photos and chill, while locals stroll."

"Okay….point?"

"Point is, we're here to bomb tourists photos."

We stood around for a good twenty minutes, our hands in our pockets, looking around for someone taking a photo. I'm sure we looked suspicious to the guards standing guard. Turns out Louis was wrong. No tourist were just standing around taking photos. When we finally found a group of Japanese tourist ,we ran next to them and stood in the back of the group as if we belonged. We looked interested as the lady, who didn't speak English, talked about the building behind us. When they huddled for a group photo, we slipped on our Obama masks' and stood a good five feet behind them. The lady snapped the photo as Louis and I made silly poses behind them. An older woman turned to look at us , then laughed. She grabbed our arms and dragged us into the group. "Take photo." She uttered. Louis and I nervously glanced at each other. Then stepped next to them and smiled. "Say: "Yes, we can!" The lady said with a thick accent, laughing.

I placed my hands on my hips and everyone posed, reciting, "Yes, we can!". Well, as close to as "Yes, we can!" as possible in English.

As I lie in bed that night, with Louis right on side of me snoring, I was absolutely chuffed. My day, thanks to my amazing boyfriend, had gone great. I had accomplished more in one day than I had in two years. If it wasn't for Louis' much appreciated optimism and high energy none of this would have happened. I wouldn't have been permanently assured how much I love him. That I can do anything. With him I felt on top of the world. He left me on edge, anticipating tomorrow. I rolled over and grabbed the pink slip of paperand a pen. I made a neat check in the boxes of things we completed. Smiling. Three down. Two to go.


	107. Chapter 107

**Day Two**

When I woke up the next morning, the sun streaming in thru the windows, I noticed Louis wasn't in his usual position next to me. I groaned then flopped my head into my pillow. I felt a soft pair of hands on my back. "Love?" He asked. I groaned again. It was silent for a moment. "I take that as a ' Yes, dear'. I was looking, right?…and it doesn't look as if it's gonna rain today." I frowned into my pillow. "Sorry, sweetheart." I turned my head. "It's not your fault ,baby. He leaned down and kissed my cheek, then walked out of the room. Well there goes completing my bucket list in one weekend.

I walked into the living room a few hours later to find Louis no where in sight. I went to the kitchen and saw him outside. With sprinklers. I chuckled softly. What's that crazy boy up to now? As I walked outside I saw him turn on the water. Water sprinkled high in the air then fell down on him. "Louis…what are you doing?"

"I said we'd finish this bucket list in one weekend…and we are. Introducing…" he said in an announcer voice, "Rain!" I laughed. Then smiled.

"Sprinklers you mean?" I set my coffee down. He squinted his eyes at me.

"No…rain. Have some imagination would you?" he stepped forward and extended his arm.

"May I have this dance?" I placed my hand in his.

"You may." I said. Pulling me close to him, we stepped under the sprinklers. I giggled loudly then squealed. Even though it was pretty sunny the water was still cold. He rocked us back and forth.

"Louis." I said leaning my head against his.

"Mmmhm?"

"I love you so much." I couldn't help but smile. "I do. This has been the best weekend of my life."

"Even though it didn't rain? Naturally." He asked hopeful

"Even though it didn't rain naturally." I smiled.

"I love you too." He mumbled leaning in. And right before he kissed me, I swear the most cliché, fairytale thing in the book happened. It begin to rain. Hard. We both looked up in disbelief. It was one of those rare, magical days where everything went your way. The sun was shining brightly but rain fell from the sky and a perfectly bright rainbow was over our heads. He looked back at me and into my eyes. "Well…guess I'm crazy." he said, winked, then pressed his silky lips to mine. The kiss was more enchanting than our weekend together. Than this crazy weather. Than anything I've ever experienced before. Together in that moment we created a memory that would scar our brains forever. A wonderful memory that we would look back on when we're older, way older, and smile uncontrollably at. "There's only one thing left to do." He said breaking from the kiss. "Find the end of that rainbow."

We got into the car and I drove manically down the road. The rainbow seemed never ending. Every time we thought it was over…it wasn't. "God!" I shouted.

"Look!" Louis pointed. Right in front of us, in the middle of the road, was the end of the rainbow. I halted the car to a stop. Thank God the road was deserted. I got out and stood two feet away from it. I turned to see Louis propped against the hood of the car. "Hhhm…where's Niall with the pot of gold? This is a rip off." I laughed. "Well go on." he said motioning to the rainbow. "before it ends. Then there's nothing I can do. I don't know how to make a rainbow. I'm sure it's not as easy as turning on the hose to a sprinkler." I laughed harder but still stood there unable to move. I wanted this last thing on my bucket list to be perfect. It almost felt perfect except I was missing the best part. "Come here." I said. He looked confused.

"Why?" He asked stepping forward.

"Now this may sound sappy, but, we started together we end together." I smiled and grabbed his hand, pulling him into the ray of light with me. I laughed. Filled to the brim with ecstasy.

"This is amazing!"

"Not as amazing as you." Louis mumbled. My smile couldn't get any wider. Louis turned me toward him.

"You know I have a bucket list of my own" He said.

"Yeah? What's on it? What do you want to do?" He bent down on one knee.

"There's only one thing. Marry the perfect girl" I was gob smacked.

"In case you haven't noticed, you're the perfect girl. Will you marry me?" tears ran down my cheeks. I couldn't get any happier. Being with Louis was the best thing ever. Of course I couldn't say "no".

"Of course I will! Yes! Yes! Yes!" I jumped into his arms.

After we arrived home, I went straight to our room, grabbed the pink slip of paper, then checked off everything. What a great grand finale to my bucket list.


	108. Chapter 108

This is a love story. It's not an average love story, though. Not the cliché: Boy meets girl, girl falls in love, boy breaks girls heart, they make up, happy ending, blah, blah, blah. This love story's a bit different. It's the story of a girl named Lauren (me) and a boy named Niall. Although this isn't like most love stories, it started off like one.

I was just a journalist writing for a small town paper when I got my big break working for Sugarscape. Being the sarcastic, witty person I am, writing the articles wasn't hard. It was just interviewing the people that was my problem. I was a shy person but naturally social at heart. I just….couldn't show it. I preferred to stick to behind the scenes work, which Sugarscape understood…most the time. The shyness also applied to my love life. I never, as lame as this sounds, had a boyfriend. As far as I knew, guys never really had the feels for me. So saying I'm not experienced in "that area" would be a bit of an understatement. But one day it all changed, and not just my career, but my love life as well. Everything flipped upside down by just a simple, "Hello."

"Hi! I'm Niall Horan." The peppy Irish boy said extending his arm. Today was the "big day" as my boss would call it. The "highlight of my career": Interviewing One Direction. They were known as the up and coming boy band, the new Beatles, but from up close they just seemed like average boys. After exchanging names with the rest of the boys, we all sat down. Normally I would be the one working the camera and my partner, Anna, would interview them, but Anna was on sick leave. Sugarscape couldn't get an extra interviewer in so the lucky contestant was…me. "So…um…hi!" I said trying not to make eye contact. "Hello!" They all said into the camera. I took in a deep breathe and tried to appear as confident as possible.

"So I have some questions from the fans…" I started.

"Yeah, go ahead." Liam said with an encouraging smile. I think he could tell I was nervous. I looked at the list of questions.

 _Are you single_

 _Are you a virgin_

 _Who's your celeb crush?_

 _Harry, do you want Louis' carrot?_

What? The day I have to interview someone, and not just someone, ONE DIRETION, I get the weird questions.

"Um…are you single?" I asked.

"I'm not." Zayn said. "I have a beautiful girlfriend."

"Me neither." Liam said.

"Same." Louis yelled. I warily looked at the last two: Harry and Niall.

"I'm kinda…dating around…but…um….nothing serious at the moment." Harry stated. I nodded then looked at Niall and couldn't help but smile. He had beautiful eyes that connected with mine like a lock and key. A small smirk, barely visible, played on his lips. I felt something wrench in my stomach that's been there before, but pushed away and rejected so many times I dare not mention. "And- and you?" I asked.

"…Depends." He said. I cocked an eyebrow.

"On?"

"If you'd like to go to dinner with me." My face heated and unbearable shade of pink as his fellow band mates snickered. Again, I wasn't the most outgoing person in the bunch so I barely ever got asked out. If I did, it was by guys who only wished to make a mockery of me.

"I'll um…think about it…" I said still stunned. He seemed shocked as well. Almost hurt.

The rest of the interview went surprising smooth. As the boys were walking out, I noticed Niall didn't make eye contact. "Hey." I heard Liam whisper. I shot him a smile. "I think Niall fancies you a bit." He said with a wink. I blushed. If he really fancied me he wouldn't have walked away so easily. And just like that he was right in front of me. "Are you done thinking…by any chance?" he asked. I giggled a bit.

"I-"

"Say yes…please?" I laughed.

"Yes, Niall."

"Great! Tonight at 8 at the Landscape!"

"Ok! See you soon" I said. He smiled and pulled me in for a hug. His arms were wrapped tightly around me and he smelled of Axe. Just like that it was over and he was gone.

I spent an hour fixing myself up for my date. A I admired my reflection, I smoothed out my long dress and pushed my hair behind my ear. I took a deep breathe in. "You will do great." I whispered and tried my best to believe that.

As I made my way into the restaurant, I saw Niall sitting by himself at a table. He was early…I liked that. I made my way over to him, and I couldn't help but notice how insanely attractive he was. He hadn't noticed me coming yet, which gave me time to admire his handsome complexion. He turned his head and our eyes locked immediately. I smile spread across his face and a sea of butterflies fanned out in my stomach. Suddenly I was on the ground and he was by my side. "Holy shit! Are you okay?" he was asking. I grasped my elbow in my hand, "Yeah, ow, yeah, I'm fine." I said standing up. What a marvelous impression to make on the first date. Clumsy me. "Sorry, guess now would be a great time to mention I'm really clumsy." He laughed. "I've noticed." We sat down at out table with a couple of stares following us. And let the night begin…

I flopped onto my bed. I felt like crying. That was possibly the worst date ever. I had never been more awkward in my life. I would not be surprised if he never wanted to see me again. Good thing I got his number before I made a complete fool of myself. I took a sigh in. This had to change. I sat up and decided it would.

The next day I went to the mall and brought a whole new wardrobe, makeup, and accessories. I was determined. I knew very well that changing yourself for someone would get you nowhere, but I wanted to change. Not for Niall but for myself ,as well.

When I had finally finished and was satisfied (thanks to the help of tons of tutorials on YouTube), I called Niall. Now I was completely confident. "Hello?" He answered.

"Hey, babe. It's Lauren. " I said.

"Um….Lauren? What?" He laughed a bit.

"Yeah. How would you like to go on a date?" I asked.

"Yeah s-"

"Great, so meet me at Landscape at 8. Night." I hung up. Now to test my faith

Before I could make it into the restaurant, I stopped and took a deep breathe. Here's to change. I walked right in a when I saw Niall I made sure to walk as confidently as I could. This time I didn't trip. His eyes were wide and he looked stunned. "Hey." I said. "H-hi." He mumbled. "What happened?" He asked looking me over. "I just figured I need a change. So I did." I replied not stuttering or mumbling once. He came over and pulled my chair out for me, and I sat down. "Thanks."

"Um…I don't know what to say…" He said looking at the table.

"Well don't. Let me start by saying, I've changed. I'm no longer the silly, naïve, clumsy, weird, shy, girl I once was. I'm more confident and...hot."

"But…what if I liked that silly, naïve, clumsy, weird, shy, _beautiful_ Lauren? This- this isn't you. This is a fake. A wannabe. I liked how unique you were, and how cute and shy you used to be. It was adorable. But I don't know what this is. I don't know why you did this." He said. "Look, I don't mean to hurt you or anything, but….I don't want you to change…." He looked genuinely into my eyes. I started to tear. In a way I just wanted to be accepted. I wanted to feel happy in my own skin, and find someone who could love me the way I was. "Lauren, I want you to be my girlfriend. But only if you're willing to go back to the real you. The amazing you." He said smiling. I nodded. "Yes, please." I giggled.

"Now can I do something I've wanted to since I've laid eyes on you?"

"Sure?" I replied. He then leaned forward and pressed his delicate lips to mine. My heart was beating out of control and I smiled. I was finally comfortable being me.

 _I stopped typing and looked at my work. I was finally done writing my story. After I printed it I pushed it into my binder with the rest of my stories, I looked over at my wall at my Niall poster. So deep in my heart I wished I could meet him. I wished this whole story could be real. But for now I was just stuck writing about him. I sighed and checked my email. My one new message read: We here at Sugarscape are happy to announce your new internship here. We hope to see you soon. I laughed happily. Now I was just one step away from my dream….and maybe a shot at love too._


	109. Chapter 109

"Don't leave." Her voice breaks through the early morning silence. She must have woke up while I was packing. I feel the sadness in my heart deepen. Her hand gently grasps my wrist. "Please?" Her voice is meager, tiny, fragile. It breaks me. The darkness in the room forbids me to see her clearly, to look her in the eyes one last time, but damn just the sound of her voice makes me want to crawl back in bed with her. To wrap my arms around her body and pull her close to me. To never let go of her. If only time allowed. "I can't, baby." I say back to her. The only response I can muster up. I feel tears swell in my eyes. The sound of the sheets ruffling signals her movement. Soon I feel her arms pull me closer than ever before. I can't help but rest my face in the warm crook of her neck. "I love you." I say to her. "I love you." She whispers. We stay in our current position for what I'd hope to be forever, but soon I must go. I pull back and press my lips to hers one last time. I take in how soft, yet chapped they are, how passionate she is. "Goodbye." I say grabbing my bags and heading towards the door. All I can see is her silhouette in the dark room. The last thing I say to her before I walk out the door for good is, "I'll be back for you." I hope she can believe it. She needs to know that I mean it.

"What a crowd tonight!" Our manager says, taking a look at the waves of screaming people waiting to see my tour mates and I. I nod. He's right. There's a lot of people here tonight. Everyone's yelling our name, waving their signs. I should be pumped. I should be ready to go out and give the performance of my life, but all I can think of is my girl. It gets me by to just, picture her in the crowd smiling back at me. My heart warms to know she's proud of me. Now that I think about it, it's not really fair to her that I'm always away. She deserves someone who can be there with her all of the time. Every time she wakes up, I'm leaving. It's not fair, I know, but I can't let her go-won't- let her go. If I ever lost her, I don't know what I'd do. I feel a hand on my shoulder. "You okay, mate?" Liam asks. I bite my lower lip. Am I? I hear him sigh. "I know she misses you right now. I also know you miss her too. Go out there and knock 'em dead. For her." He says. I nod. I just don't have the energy though. I really need her. How long can I keep doing this? Going back and fourth? How long can I pretend to be okay? Pretend I don't miss her kisses, or the way she giggles when I compliment her, or the way I'd look at her and she'd be looking right back. "On in 20 seconds!" The stage tec. yells. I quickly remember what I last told Simmy. "I'll be back for you." That made me feel a little better than I did before. Because I know it's true. Soon enough I'll have her in my arms again.

"What the hell do you mean you've added six more shows to the tour?" Paul sighs. "Look, Zayn, I'm sorry. I know you want to go home, but right now your career comes first. You knew that before you got involved. Job first, relationships second. I tried to warn you it wasn't a good idea to get in a relationship…" I sigh and fight back tears. "This is bullshit!" I yell. "Zayn…" Niall warns. "No! Fuck this!" I get up and storm out of the building. What the hell is happening to me? I've never been into someone ,like I'm into Simmy, before. I feel like I'd do anything for her. I finally let the tears fall and lean against the nearest wall to steady myself. I slide down until I'm sitting. Through my blurry vision, I pull out my cell phone and dial Simmy's number. I hear the loud trill fill my ear. "Hello." Her angelic voice answers. "Babe." I say. I try to hold back the weakness in my voice. I try to keep it together for her, but it's hard. She can hear my voice crack. "Zayn? Zayn, baby, are you okay?" I sniffle. "I really need you right now." I say. I hear her release a long sigh. This isn't the first time I've called her like this. She'd tell me she has school and work. She cant just take off and leave for another country to see me. But I really need her this time. "I'm sorry." She says after a while. "Please?" I beg. I've never begged before. For anything, but I'm willing to beg right now for her. I'm 100% willing to get down on both knees and beg for her right this moment if that's what it takes to see her again. "I know it's hard…" She says. I can hear the pain in her voice. "Shit! Please, please please?" I whisper. "I'm so lost. It wasn't hard at first. I could get by just thinking about you. Like, I feel as if I'm hurting way more than I should be. I'm just having a hard time being away for so long. I feel so lonely, and empty, without you here." I manage to say. "Zayn, I feel exactly the same way. This is hard for me too! But I can't just get up and leave right now. I just…I really miss you. I wanna be with you. You'll be home soon, right?" Tears come to my eyes again just thinking about the extra six shows that have been added. An extra two weeks away. "Baby…" I try to break the news to her. "You're kidding right?" She asks bitterly. "This isn't my fault! If I could have it any other way….I'd be there with you right now. That's why you should just fly out here for just the weekend. Just two days is all I'm asking…" She needs to say "yes." My heart can't take anymore pain. "Zayn…" I sigh. "I love you. Bye." I say then hang up the phone. I lean my head against the cold wall and rest my eyes. I few seconds later I hear my phone beep. I text from Simmy says, "I'll see you this weekend xx." Suddenly the biggest smile I've ever had made its way across my face. I feel like jumping for joy and yelling her name. I'm finally gonna see her.

Have you ever been so in love with someone that even the slightest thing they do makes you happy? That's the way I feel about Simmy. Everything she does makes me happy. Like when she concentrates on something fully, she crinkles her nose and furrows her eyebrows. It's one of the cutest things I've ever seen. The way she still pronounces my last name wrong after all this time, makes me laugh. If anyone else were to do that, I'd be pissed. If someone else were to do most of the things that Simmy does, I'd be pretty pissed. I miss her kisses, I miss her laugh, her touch, her voice, her. That's why when she called and told me her flight got cancelled I was furious. It seems as if nothing goes right for me. Life just won't give me a break. It's not like I'm trying to steal something or rob a bank. I just want to see my girlfriend. "Zayn…" Liam walked in to see me sitting on the sofa. I glanced up at him, sure I looked a mess. "You okay, buddy?" He asked flopping down next to me. I felt the tears creep up on me again. I nodded 'no', and he hugged me. "Why don't you talk to Paul about taking a few days off?" Liam suggested. I never thought about that. I'm sure Paul would never let me, though. I sighed. "It won't work." I told him. "Well…what if your favorite best friend asked for you…"

"Niall asked for me?" I joke. I hear Liam scoff playfully.

"Did you just pick Niall over me?" He lets go of me, releasing me from our hug. I chuckle. "Wow, Zayn. I'm highly offended. I'm out of here." he says standing. I laugh for the first time in weeks. "Sorry, mate. So you asked for me?" Hope engulfed by body like a tsunami. Hope was soon replaced with joy as Liam informed me that I could go for the weekend. I stood and kisses his cheek. "You, Liam, are now my favorite best friend." Liam fist pumped. "Take that, Niall!"

As pull up to my apartment, I'm just bursting at the seams with happiness. I'm finally gonna see Simmy! I pull my bags from the trunk of my car and walk up to the door. I can feel my heart beat faster. I want to surprise her. As I open the door, I feel my heart become concurred by the overwhelming sense of being home. I drop my bag and walk to our room. I can hear the TV on. Outside of the door is her unpacked suitcase. I slowly open the door to reveal Simmy lying on the bed studying. I smile at the sight of her. Her hair's in a messy bun, and she's in sweatpants and one of my shirts. "So this is what you do while I'm gone?" I ask. Her head snaps towards me. "Zayn!" She stands and runs at me. I wrap my arms around her, finally. It feels so good to have her in my arms again. "I've missed you so much!" She whispers from the crook of my neck. I hold her closer. "I've missed you too." "I can't believe you're here!" She breathes. A smirk crosses my face. "I told you I'd be back for you, baby."

The sun hangs overhead outside. The blinds dance in the Sunday evening air. My heart lies, content, in my chest. Simmy rests on my chest. I caress her bare back and kiss her forehead. "When are you leaving?" She asks. I sigh quietly. "Tonight." I whisper. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You're here now. That's all that matters."

"But I just wish-"

"It doesn't matter, Zayn. It is what it is. You have to go. I understand. I've accepted that if I'm going to love you for the rest of my life this is how it's going to be. Am I sad? Yes. Do I want you to leave? No. But there's…there's nothing I can do about it." She sits up and looks me in my eyes and my heart malfunctions. She's so beautiful. I can't help but lean in and kiss her. She kisses back passionately. I feel her hand move to my waist, and I flip us so I'm hovering over her. Every time we touch, I only want more. I kiss down her neck, taking in her scent, savoring her skin. I glide my hand up her thigh and squeeze her soft flesh. Every part of me tingles when she groans and runs her hands down my back. "Please." She breathes. "Please what, boo?" I ask as I kiss across her collarbones. "Please tell me you'll be back." I look directly in her eyes.

"I'll be back." I whisper. "Tell me nothing's going to change. Tell me you'll stick with me. Even when I'm not here." She smiles.

"I will." I kiss her sweetly. That's all I want to hear.

The sound of my suitcase zipper is the only sound that penetrates the room. I look over at Simmy. She sits up in the bed and looks at me. "God, this sucks." She whispers. I nod. She's right. It does suck. But the fact that she'll stick with me through all of my departures makes me feel a bit better. She stands and walks over to me. I pull her into a tight hug. "I love you." I say. "I love you." She says back. We stay in our current position for what I'd hope to be forever, but soon I must go. I pull back and press my lips to hers one last time. It's funny how often we go through this routine, yet it still hurts to say, "Goodbye." I grab my bags and head towards the door. She nods. I turn, right before leaving, and look at her. She's stunning. I smile. "Babe." I say.

"Yes?" She asks.

"I'll be back for you." I mean it, and she knows it. She believes it. Simmy smiles.

"I know."


End file.
